--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: improv and child rearing are not so…" description: "\"“improv and child rearing are not so different. Both are jobs that people volunteer for and complain about endlessly, and they bore everyone around the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/jen-kirkman-2547_children_improv-and-child-rearing-are-not-so-diff_1294685.jpg" --- # improv and child rearing are not so different. Both are… ![“improv and child rearing are not so different. Both are jobs that people volunteer for and complain about endlessly, and they bore everyone around them as they talk about the process.” quote by Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/jen-kirkman-2547_children_improv-and-child-rearing-are-not-so-diff_1294685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/jen-kirkman-2547_children_improv-and-child-rearing-are-not-so-diff_1294685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/jen-kirkman-2547_children_improv-and-child-rearing-are-not-so-diff_1294685.jpg) > ““improv and child rearing are not so different. Both are jobs that people volunteer for and complain about endlessly, and they bore everyone around them as they talk about the process.”” [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Improvisation and parenting share the chaos of constant, unpaid labor, leading to endless complaints and boredom for observers. **In simple terms:** Both are demanding, unpaid jobs that cause frustration. Key Takeaway Find humor in the chaos of daily duties. Themes parenting improvisation work humor Mood lighthearted insightful Type observational motivational When to use this quote - daily routines - creative work - childcare Key Concepts performance art family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does humor help cope with parenting stress? - What lessons can improv teach parents? A Different Perspective The comparison may oversimplify each role’s depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child rearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-rearing/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Improvisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvisation/) [Rearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rearing/) ## Related quotes > [The degree to which the child-rearing professionals continue to be out of touch with reality is astounding. For example, a widely read manual on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/the-degree-to-which-the-child-rearing-professionals-continue-to-be/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [One of the most difficult parental challenges is to appropriately discipline children. Child rearing is so individualistic. Every child is different and unique. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/one-of-the-most-difficult-parental-challenges-is-to-appropriately/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Child-rearing is my main interest now. I'm a hands-on father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/child-rearing-is-my-main-interest-now-i-m-a-hands-on-father/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [The reward of child rearing is spending the rest of your life proudly knowing this person you helped guide. Let him be himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-sager/the-reward-of-child-rearing-is-spending-the-rest-of-your-life-proudly/) Mike Sager > [If it is to be done well, child-rearing requires, more than most activities of life, a good deal of decentering from one's own needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-elkind/if-it-is-to-be-done-well-child-rearing-requires-more-than-most/) [David Elkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-elkind/) > [“I'm a firm believer the the first two tenets of effective child-rearing boil down to "spend a lot of time with your children" and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/i-m-a-firm-believer-the-the-first-two-tenets-of-effective-child/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [“If a person’s character makeup determines his future, then child rearing is primarily about helping children to develop character that will take them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/if-a-person-s-character-makeup-determines-his-future-then-child/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [I am always suspicious of those who impose 'rules' on child rearing. Every child is different in terms of temperament and learning, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-always-suspicious-of-those-who-impose-rules-on-child-rearing/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“What can a single man know about child rearing?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/what-can-a-single-man-know-about-child-rearing/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [We need to start talking about child-rearing in the workplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-need-to-start-talking-about-child-rearing-in-the-workplace/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [A method of child-rearing is not--or should not be--a whim, a fashion or a shibboleth. It should derive from an understanding of the developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-fraiberg/a-method-of-child-rearing-is-not-or-should-not-be-a-whim-a-fashion-or/) [Selma Fraiberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-fraiberg/) > [Children need both latitude of expression and firmly enforced limits on their behaviors, in a blend that results in calm, patientmanagement. The key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/children-need-both-latitude-of-expression-and-firmly-enforced-limits/) [Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/) > [Whatever we refuse to recognize about ourselves has a way of rearing its head and making itself known when we least expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/whatever-we-refuse-to-recognize-about-ourselves-has-a-way-of-rearing/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [“So many people think that they are not gifted because they don’t have an obvious talent that people can recognize because it doesn’t fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/so-many-people-think-that-they-are-not-gifted-because-they-don-t-have/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Yeah, I wanted to know where they got it from, what it was all about, you know, and it seemed to strike something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/yeah-i-wanted-to-know-where-they-got-it-from-what-it-was-all-about/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) ## More by Jen Kirkman > [The urge that most people feel to have kids is the exact same as the urge that I have to not have kids. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/the-urge-that-most-people-feel-to-have-kids-is-the-exact-same-as-the/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [“remember asking my mom when I was little if I could go live at this place in Boston called “The Home for Little Wanderers.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/remember-asking-my-mom-when-i-was-little-if-i-could-go-live-at-this/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [Couples without kids have each other, their friends, families, and Siri to talk to. It's not like they're quarantining themselves in an underground bunker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/couples-without-kids-have-each-other-their-friends-families-and-siri/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I used to make albums because I wasn't touring, and so I thought, "This is the best way for people to find out about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-used-to-make-albums-because-i-wasn-t-touring-and-so-i-thought-this/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [Eventually I'm going to be too old to be on camera, and I've been doing stand-up a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/eventually-i-m-going-to-be-too-old-to-be-on-camera-and-i-ve-been/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I'm wired to be neurotic and loud and high-strung.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-m-wired-to-be-neurotic-and-loud-and-high-strung/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I don't want to have kids and so I am not going to have kids. People who want kids are going to have kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-don-t-want-to-have-kids-and-so-i-am-not-going-to-have-kids-people/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I have this idyllic love life, but my mind just won't accept that. I would like to bring a new guy home every night.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-have-this-idyllic-love-life-but-my-mind-just-won-t-accept-that-i/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [Its almost Thanksgiving! A day when you get to hear your extended family use racial slurs for groups are not taking away their jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/its-almost-thanksgiving-a-day-when-you-get-to-hear-your-extended/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [Actually, my friendships are changing because my friends have kids, so that's a new aspect to the material. Not just that I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/actually-my-friendships-are-changing-because-my-friends-have-kids-so/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I don't like to joke about dating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-don-t-like-to-joke-about-dating/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [As a woman of a certain age - and really, ever since I hit puberty and my baby-making parts were suddenly subject to public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/as-a-woman-of-a-certain-age-and-really-ever-since-i-hit-puberty-and/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I'm not like Woody Allen like, "Oh my god what's going to happen? Ooh Ooh Oohhh." I'm just high-strung. So I do need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-m-not-like-woody-allen-like-oh-my-god-what-s-going-to-happen-ooh/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [“I do not like being called “young” by someone who is only a couple of years older than I am, because what that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-do-not-like-being-called-young-by-someone-who-is-only-a-couple-of/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [I'm wildly different than Maria Bamford or Sarah Silverman, and might be more similar to some male comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-m-wildly-different-than-maria-bamford-or-sarah-silverman-and-might/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) [Explore all 161 Jen Kirkman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) ## More Child rearing quotes > [“So, your best defense is knowledge. 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It should derive from an understanding of the developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-fraiberg/a-method-of-child-rearing-is-not-or-should-not-be-a-whim-a-fashion-or/) [Selma Fraiberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-fraiberg/) > [Today's mom watches her every child-rearing step lest she commit some egregious and apocalyptic parenting faux pas that will certainly doom her child to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rosemond/today-s-mom-watches-her-every-child-rearing-step-lest-she-commit-some/) [John Rosemond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rosemond/) > [There's a marketing scheme that tells you that pregnancy and child rearing will make you into a moron, that your kids are only happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dar-williams/there-s-a-marketing-scheme-that-tells-you-that-pregnancy-and-child/) [Dar Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dar-williams/) > [Women who work with animals hear this all the time: that their love for animals must arise out of a sublimated child-rearing urge. Ana's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/women-who-work-with-animals-hear-this-all-the-time-that-their-love/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [In thinking of the sustainability and inclusiveness of our nation's economy and society, we place child-rearing support as our most important policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-kishida/in-thinking-of-the-sustainability-and-inclusiveness-of-our-nation-s/) [Fumio Kishida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-kishida/) > [So no, it's not all in the genes, but what isn't in the genes isn't in the family environment either. It can't be explained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/so-no-it-s-not-all-in-the-genes-but-what-isn-t-in-the-genes-isn-t-in/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [ Fashions change, and with the new psychoanalytical perspective of the postwar period \[WWII\], child rearing became enshrined as thespecial responsibility of mothersany shortcoming in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ann-hewlett/fashions-change-and-with-the-new-psychoanalytical-perspective-of-the/) [Sylvia Ann Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ann-hewlett/) > [ “The most effective alternative process \[to punishment\] is probably extinction. This takes time but is much more rapid than allowing the response to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner-2/the-most-effective-alternative-process-to-punishment-is-probably/) [B.F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner-2/) > [No one who traces the history of motherhood, of the home, of child-rearing practices will ever assume the eternal permanence of our own way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-bernard/no-one-who-traces-the-history-of-motherhood-of-the-home-of-child/) Jessie Bernard > [“You put a certain amount of effort into stitching a jacket or dress and you get the garment you expect. There's no mystery. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/you-put-a-certain-amount-of-effort-into-stitching-a-jacket-or-dress/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [I'm all about the child-rearing propaganda. Do the kids thing, do the family thing. If anything, it just makes you a better artist. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/i-m-all-about-the-child-rearing-propaganda-do-the-kids-thing-do-the/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [“I can speak of our baby like this to no one else. Who but his father would linger over the exact width of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillippa-gregory/i-can-speak-of-our-baby-like-this-to-no-one-else-who-but-his-father/) Phillippa Gregory > [We need to start talking about child-rearing in the workplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-need-to-start-talking-about-child-rearing-in-the-workplace/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Millennials may not put emphasis on traditional landmarks in child rearing but strive to bring up their kids to be well-adjusted, empathetic citizens of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-bachchan-nanda/millennials-may-not-put-emphasis-on-traditional-landmarks-in-child/) [Shweta Bachchan Nanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-bachchan-nanda/) [Browse all 76 Child rearing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-rearing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“improv and child rearing are not so different. 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