--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children need to see that they are…" description: "\"Children need to see that they are assumed to be well-intentioned, naturally social people who are trying to do the right thing and who want reliable r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/jean-liedloff-31409_child_children-need-to-see-that-they-are-assum_1740463.png" --- # Children need to see that they are assumed to be… ![“Children need to see that they are assumed to be well-intentioned, naturally social people who are trying to do the right thing and who want reliable reactions from their elders to guide them.” quote by Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/jean-liedloff-31409_child_children-need-to-see-that-they-are-assum_1740463.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/jean-liedloff-31409_child_children-need-to-see-that-they-are-assum_1740463.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/jean-liedloff-31409_child_children-need-to-see-that-they-are-assum_1740463.png) > “Children need to see that they are assumed to be well-intentioned, naturally social people who are trying to do the right thing and who want reliable reactions from their elders to guide them.” [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children thrive when adults treat them as inherently good and socially motivated, providing consistent guidance. **In simple terms:** Treat kids as naturally good and guide them. Key Takeaway Offer reliable, supportive reactions. Themes parenting trust social development Mood compassionate encouraging Type advice parenting When to use this quote - family meals - school settings - counseling sessions Key Concepts human nature attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance trust with boundaries? - What cues signal a child's need for guidance? A Different Perspective Assuming good intentions may overlook harmful behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elders/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not a naturally social-media inclined person. I still prefer phone calls to texts/emails. 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We're creative, we're social. People are like water. If you try to contain them, they find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/you-can-t-stop-people-from-being-human-we-re-creative-we-re-social/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [I'm very extroverted - I'm really social. People have a sense I'm a reserved wallflower, but that's not who I am. My music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlo-parks/i-m-very-extroverted-i-m-really-social-people-have-a-sense-i-m-a/) [Arlo Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlo-parks/) > [Genuinely social people never ceased to amaze him. Their brains seemed to generate an inexhaustible fund of things to say, naturally, with no effort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/genuinely-social-people-never-ceased-to-amaze-him-their-brains-seemed/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [At the end of the day, human beings are social people. 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It is people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-organization-is-above-all-social-it-is-people/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“I have recently been called antisocial, and I'd like to set the record straight. I am not antisocial, I like social. It's people I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-curtis/i-have-recently-been-called-antisocial-and-i-d-like-to-set-the-record/) [Greg Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-curtis/) > [That sad moment when you have to be social because you have people over...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-sad-moment-when-you-have-to-be-social-because-you-have-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Social does not just equal Facebook. Social is how people interact anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bartz/social-does-not-just-equal-facebook-social-is-how-people-interact/) [Carol Bartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bartz/) > [It is our genetic nature as a species to believe as young children that our parents and elders are right. We watch them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/it-is-our-genetic-nature-as-a-species-to-believe-as-young-children/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) ## More by Jean Liedloff > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [Happiness ceases to be a normal condition of being alive, and becomes a goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/happiness-ceases-to-be-a-normal-condition-of-being-alive-and-becomes/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [I would be ashamed to admit to the Indians that, where I come from, the women do not feel themselves capable of raising children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/i-would-be-ashamed-to-admit-to-the-indians-that-where-i-come-from-the/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [The two words that I've arrived at to describe what we all need to feel about ourselves, children and adults, in order to perceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/the-two-words-that-i-ve-arrived-at-to-describe-what-we-all-need-to/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [We take it for granted that life is hard and feel lucky to have whatever happiness we get. 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You just don't have bad kids. It's not true. There is no such thing. But we can make them bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/nobody-s-born-rotten-you-just-don-t-have-bad-kids-it-s-not-true-there/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) [Explore all 16 Jean Liedloff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) ## More Child quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? 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Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm a weirdo and an only child. 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