--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was playing with the children, I…" description: "\"When I was playing with the children, I felt I ought to be working, and when I was working, I felt I ought to be playing with the children.\" — Jane Haw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/jane-hawking-12947_children_when-i-was-playing-with-the-children-i-f_1395869.jpg" --- # When I was playing with the children, I felt I ought to be… ![“When I was playing with the children, I felt I ought to be working, and when I was working, I felt I ought to be playing with the children.” quote by Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/jane-hawking-12947_children_when-i-was-playing-with-the-children-i-f_1395869.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/jane-hawking-12947_children_when-i-was-playing-with-the-children-i-f_1395869.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/jane-hawking-12947_children_when-i-was-playing-with-the-children-i-f_1395869.jpg) > “When I was playing with the children, I felt I ought to be working, and when I was working, I felt I ought to be playing with the children.” [Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hawking/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing parental duties with professional responsibilities creates an inner conflict between work and play. **In simple terms:** Struggle between work and playing with kids. Key Takeaway Set clear boundaries for work and family time. Themes parenting career balance guilt Mood empathetic contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - school pick‑ups - project deadlines - family vacations Key Concepts role conflict time management Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor both roles? - What boundaries help you switch modes? A Different Perspective Children’s needs may limit career flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-felt-724603/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-ought-2154535/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Ought Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-playing-4878822/) [Ought Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-working-4878823/) [Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing/) [Playing Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-children-390469/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) ## Related quotes > [“In between them stood an elephant and she felt she ought to point it out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/in-between-them-stood-an-elephant-and-she-felt-she-ought-to-point-it/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“WI felt I ought to comment on that, but nothing occurred to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-moers/wi-felt-i-ought-to-comment-on-that-but-nothing-occurred-to-me/) [Walter Moers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-moers/) > [“He did not know- he simply did not know. 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He had beautiful eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hawking/when-stephen-was-first-diagnosed-we-weren-t-actually-going-out/) [Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hawking/) > [I felt that Stephen had become such a significant figure, a scientist of such international renown, that at some future date, someone would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hawking/i-felt-that-stephen-had-become-such-a-significant-figure-a-scientist/) [Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hawking/) > [I had to be steadfast in my Christian beliefs, seeking strength from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hawking/i-had-to-be-steadfast-in-my-christian-beliefs-seeking-strength-from/) [Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hawking/) > [We would look up at the night sky together, and although Stephen wasn't actually very good at detecting constellations, he would tell me about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hawking/we-would-look-up-at-the-night-sky-together-and-although-stephen-wasn/) [Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hawking/) > [The goddess Physics was Stephen's idol. 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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