--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a very distant relationship with my…" description: "\"I had a very distant relationship with my father. It was always just me and my mother. It was a shattering blow when she died. I was 16.\" — Joan Lingard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/joan-lingard-36385_father_i-had-a-very-distant-relationship-with-m_1374173.jpg" --- # I had a very distant relationship with my father. It was… ![“I had a very distant relationship with my father. It was always just me and my mother. It was a shattering blow when she died. I was 16.” quote by Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/joan-lingard-36385_father_i-had-a-very-distant-relationship-with-m_1374173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/joan-lingard-36385_father_i-had-a-very-distant-relationship-with-m_1374173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/joan-lingard-36385_father_i-had-a-very-distant-relationship-with-m_1374173.jpg) > “I had a very distant relationship with my father. It was always just me and my mother. It was a shattering blow when she died. I was 16.” [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early loss of a parent can deeply affect emotional development and identity. **In simple terms:** Loss shapes identity. Key Takeaway Process grief to grow stronger. Themes family grief identity formation Mood somber hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - writing - support groups - education Key Concepts psychology trauma Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor your mother’s memory? - What support helped you heal? A Different Perspective Grief may persist despite processing, affecting relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Died 16](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died-16-2943132/) [Distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distant/) [Distant relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distant-relationship/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationship Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-father-236749/) [She](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/she/) ## Related quotes > [Do not loose faith in distant relationship because that elusive soulmate might be far away but where there is a will there's a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/do-not-loose-faith-in-distant-relationship-because-that-elusive/) [Kemmy Nola Http://wwwamoreloveforlifecom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/) > [I've grown up, luckily, with only a distant relationship to war and soldiering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/i-ve-grown-up-luckily-with-only-a-distant-relationship-to-war-and/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [My mom died when I was 16. I had a rough childhood, you know what I mean, but it made me strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-barker/my-mom-died-when-i-was-16-i-had-a-rough-childhood-you-know-what-i/) [Travis Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-barker/) > [And my little sister died when she was 16.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-london/and-my-little-sister-died-when-she-was-16/) [Jeremy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-london/) > [“A distant love that waits to be together, is by far the most difficult relationship. It's like lighting a candle, and adoring the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/a-distant-love-that-waits-to-be-together-is-by-far-the-most-difficult/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [There are some libertarians who are really anarchists, but others are more concerned about the distant relationship between themselves and power. They mistakenly think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/there-are-some-libertarians-who-are-really-anarchists-but-others-are/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [All the while, believe me, I prayed our night would last twice as long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sappho/all-the-while-believe-me-i-prayed-our-night-would-last-twice-as-long/) [Sappho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sappho/) > [As contraries are known by contraries, so is the delight of presence best known by the torments of absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcibiades/as-contraries-are-known-by-contraries-so-is-the-delight-of-presence/) [Alcibiades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcibiades/) > [Things must be felt with the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/things-must-be-felt-with-the-heart/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [I was glad to hear of that determination as I detest the practice of cousins marrying or any marriage between persons in which there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-cornell/i-was-glad-to-hear-of-that-determination-as-i-detest-the-practice-of/) [Ezra Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-cornell/) > [If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than it was because he was he, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/if-you-press-me-to-say-why-i-loved-him-i-can-say-no-more-than-it-was/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [This is the sad bed of chosen chastity because you are miles and mountains away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/this-is-the-sad-bed-of-chosen-chastity-because-you-are-miles-and/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Online dating is a far cry from dating a stranger! ! We are either downplaying or overating the power of internet which has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/online-dating-is-a-far-cry-from-dating-a-stranger-we-are-either/) [Kemmy Wwwamoreloveforlifecom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/) > [I never feel sexy. I have a distant relationship with the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/i-never-feel-sexy-i-have-a-distant-relationship-with-the-mirror/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [Never lose faith in a distant relationship because that elusive soul-mate might be far away but where there is a will there's always a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/never-lose-faith-in-a-distant-relationship-because-that-elusive-soul/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) ## More by Joan Lingard > [“Life is limited, but by writing, and reading, we can live in different worlds, get inside the skins and minds of other people, and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/life-is-limited-but-by-writing-and-reading-we-can-live-in-different/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [I like writing about teenagers because it's a time of great change and conflict. Up to then, you accept what your parents tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/i-like-writing-about-teenagers-because-it-s-a-time-of-great-change/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [The 325-foot Seagram Tower is the most southerly and closest to the Canadian falls and also affords the best view of the churning upper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/the-325-foot-seagram-tower-is-the-most-southerly-and-closest-to-the/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [When writing about Edinburgh, I place my characters in the parts of the city that I myself have lived in, or else know well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/when-writing-about-edinburgh-i-place-my-characters-in-the-parts-of/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [Like children, adolescents need a framework. Otherwise they can't cope. When someone has unlimited freedom, it means there's nobody who cares what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/like-children-adolescents-need-a-framework-otherwise-they-can-t-cope/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [“Whoever had invented long division has a lot to answer for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/whoever-had-invented-long-division-has-a-lot-to-answer-for/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [The skylines of Buffalo, New York, and Toronto, Ontario, some 40 miles away, can be seen from the eight observation areas of the Seagram Tower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/the-skylines-of-buffalo-new-york-and-toronto-ontario-some-40-miles/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [I find Edinburgh a stimulating place in which to live, with it being a city of contrasts, both architecturally and socially, and each district…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/i-find-edinburgh-a-stimulating-place-in-which-to-live-with-it-being-a/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [If I had stayed in Belfast, my life there wouldn't have as easy as it was in Scotland. I see the strain on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/if-i-had-stayed-in-belfast-my-life-there-wouldn-t-have-as-easy-as-it/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [Settings are obviously important - and as a writer, you have to respect what was real at the time of the story you're writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/settings-are-obviously-important-and-as-a-writer-you-have-to-respect/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [Mollie Hunter was both a great friend and a very fine writer for children. She was fascinated by Scotland's history and its folklore -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/mollie-hunter-was-both-a-great-friend-and-a-very-fine-writer-for/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) > [Do you know there are at least seven ways to view Niagara Falls ... one of the natural wonders of the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-lingard/do-you-know-there-are-at-least-seven-ways-to-view-niagara-falls-one/) [Joan Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) [Explore all 13 Joan Lingard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-lingard/) ## More Distant quotes > [“The rich eat life, the poor eat death; so what is the problem they ask?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/the-rich-eat-life-the-poor-eat-death-so-what-is-the-problem-they-ask/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [The more we possess, the more distant we grow from God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yohji-yamamoto/the-more-we-possess-the-more-distant-we-grow-from-god/) [Yohji Yamamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yohji-yamamoto/) > [ “\[Y\]ou have no happiness in your heart, no power, no will that does not live in us as a presentiment, a reflection, a distant… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/y-ou-have-no-happiness-in-your-heart-no-power-no-will-that-does-not/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The most difficult idea to reconcile in war is the notion that anything is going to be solved by killing a stranger, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/the-most-difficult-idea-to-reconcile-in-war-is-the-notion-that/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [“Do you know who your grand grand grand grand grand father is? Probably you don’t! If you want to know your very distant past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/do-you-know-who-your-grand-grand-grand-grand-grand-father-is-probably/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [We look at distant exploding stars called supernovae, and we've developed techniques to measure how far away they are and how fast they're moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-riess/we-look-at-distant-exploding-stars-called-supernovae-and-we-ve/) [Adam Riess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-riess/) > [It seemed like most of the memories faded before they had time to form. And after a while, my life with my father seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/it-seemed-like-most-of-the-memories-faded-before-they-had-time-to/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [Heaven and God are not high above us, far away; they are deep within us. Heaven is not a distant country where there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/heaven-and-god-are-not-high-above-us-far-away-they-are-deep-within-us/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [“Tell him this one thing. Distant rivers always reach the sea. Being far is just like being near. Would I think of him if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamayya/tell-him-this-one-thing-distant-rivers-always-reach-the-sea-being-far/) [Annamayya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamayya/) > [Every year, I would spend weeks at a time in the hotels of distant cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/every-year-i-would-spend-weeks-at-a-time-in-the-hotels-of-distant/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [We know about every massacre that has taken place close to the present, but the ones in the distant past are like trees falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/we-know-about-every-massacre-that-has-taken-place-close-to-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [To act is to act out of time. to act is to persuade time. to persuade is to act out of time. time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-act-is-to-act-out-of-time-to-act-is-to-persuade-time-to-persuade/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometime in the not too distant future, denying gays the right to marry will be viewed as historically corrupt - as corrupt as denying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/sometime-in-the-not-too-distant-future-denying-gays-the-right-to/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [Even though you're so close to me, you're still so distant and I can't bring back. It's true the way I feel, was promised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linkin-park/even-though-you-re-so-close-to-me-you-re-still-so-distant-and-i-can-t/) [Linkin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linkin-park/) > [“Not everyone is content with what they are,” she added with a distant look. “Some of us long for what we wish to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shae-ford/not-everyone-is-content-with-what-they-are-she-added-with-a-distant/) [Shae Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shae-ford/) [Browse all 204 Distant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had a very distant relationship with my father. It was always just me and my mother. It was a shattering blow when she died. 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