--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I ...understand how a parent might hit a…" description: "\"I ...understand how a parent might hit a child- it's because you can look into their eyes and see a reflection of yourself that you wish you hadn't.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0df/jodi-picoult-45_children_i-understand-how-a-parent-might-hit-a-ch_1638961.jpg" --- # I ...understand how a parent might hit a child- it's… ![“I ...understand how a parent might hit a child- it's because you can look into their eyes and see a reflection of yourself that you wish you hadn't.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0df/jodi-picoult-45_children_i-understand-how-a-parent-might-hit-a-ch_1638961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0df/jodi-picoult-45_children_i-understand-how-a-parent-might-hit-a-ch_1638961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0df/jodi-picoult-45_children_i-understand-how-a-parent-might-hit-a-ch_1638961.jpg) > “I ...understand how a parent might hit a child- it's because you can look into their eyes and see a reflection of yourself that you wish you hadn't.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parents may see themselves in their children, leading to harmful projections. **In simple terms:** Seeing yourself in a child can cause hurtful actions. Key Takeaway Cultivate self-awareness to avoid projecting onto others. Themes parenting self-reflection projection Mood empathetic cautionary Type literary psychological When to use this quote - family dynamics - parent‑child conflict - therapy sessions - educational settings Key Concepts Empathy Identity Boundaries Questions to Reflect On - How can you separate your feelings from a child's behavior? - What steps help you see a child as an individual? A Different Perspective Self‑projection can blind judgment and cause harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Reflection of yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection-of-yourself/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“For the first time in my life I begin to understand how a parent might hit a child ..it’s because you can look into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-begin-to-understand-how-a-parent/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I was never hit as a child. I don't believing in hitting, period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannen-doherty/i-was-never-hit-as-a-child-i-don-t-believing-in-hitting-period/) [Shannen Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannen-doherty/) > [Haters don't really hate you, they hate themselves; because you're a reflection of what they wish to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/haters-don-t-really-hate-you-they-hate-themselves-because-you-re-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Haters don't really hate you, they hate themselves because your the reflection of who they wish they could be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/haters-don-t-really-hate-you-they-hate-themselves-because-your-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Haters don't hate you, they hate themselves because you're a reflection of what they wish to be.!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/haters-don-t-hate-you-they-hate-themselves-because-you-re-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My haters hate me cause Im a reflection of what they wish to be;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-broken/my-haters-hate-me-cause-im-a-reflection-of-what-they-wish-to-be/) She's\_broken > [Haters don't really hate you, they hate themselves cause you're a reflection of what they wish to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/haters-don-t-really-hate-you-they-hate-themselves-cause-you-re-a/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. 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I think for me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/this-is-something-i-love-one-thing-about-me-i-m-gonna-be-hip-hop/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [“We begin to understand that to co-parent is to one day look up and notice that you are on a roller coaster with another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/we-begin-to-understand-that-to-co-parent-is-to-one-day-look-up-and/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [I simply cannot understand how any parent could kill themselves,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-simply-cannot-understand-how-any-parent-could-kill-themselves/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I understand that every parent wants the best for their child because I want the best for my children too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rayner/i-understand-that-every-parent-wants-the-best-for-their-child-because/) [Angela Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rayner/) > [I understand every parent has a different risk threshold. And I realize life is full of risks, even including harmful chemicals that we interact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-foudy/i-understand-every-parent-has-a-different-risk-threshold-and-i/) [Julie Foudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-foudy/) > [I don't think people understand what being a parent means, you have to put your kid before everything including yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-think-people-understand-what-being-a-parent-means-you-have-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I failed to understand as a parent until it was too late: that anyone can be suffering and in need of expert care, regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-klebold/i-failed-to-understand-as-a-parent-until-it-was-too-late-that-anyone/) [Sue Klebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-klebold/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." 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Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. 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