--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's just that the thing you never…" description: "\"“It's just that the thing you never understand about being a mother, until you are one, is that it is not the grown man - the galumphing, unshaven, sti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/jojo-moyes-1045_bullied_it-s-just-that-the-thing-you-never-under_2918622.jpg" --- # It's just that the thing you never understand about being… ![“It's just that the thing you never understand about being a mother, until you are one, is that it is not the grown man - the galumphing, unshaven, stinking, opinionated off-spring - you see before you, with his parking tickets and unpolished shoes and complicated love life. You see all the people…” quote by Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/jojo-moyes-1045_bullied_it-s-just-that-the-thing-you-never-under_2918622.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/jojo-moyes-1045_bullied_it-s-just-that-the-thing-you-never-under_2918622.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/jojo-moyes-1045_bullied_it-s-just-that-the-thing-you-never-under_2918622.jpg) > ““It's just that the thing you never understand about being a mother, until you are one, is that it is not the grown man - the galumphing, unshaven, stinking, opinionated off-spring - you see before you, with his parking tickets and unpolished shoes and complicated love life. You see all the people he has ever been all rolled up into one. I look at him and see the baby I held in my arms, dewing besotted, unable to believe that I'd created another human being. I see the toddler, reaching for my hand, the schoolboy weeping tears of fury after being bullied  by some other child. I saw the vulnerabilities, the love, the history.”” [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Motherhood reveals a child's full humanity, from infancy to adulthood, in a single view. **In simple terms:** Mothers see all stages of a child's life. Key Takeaway Embrace each phase of your child's growth. Themes parenthood identity growth Mood reflective empathetic Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - new mother - adolescent counseling - family therapy - parental support groups Key Concepts development empathy reflection Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance nurturing and realistic expectations? - What moments define your child's evolving identity? A Different Perspective Mothers may idealize rather than confront challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complicated love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated-love/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-life/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s just that the thing you never understand about being a mother, until you are one, is that it is not the grown man—the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-s-just-that-the-thing-you-never-understand-about-being-a-mother-2/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“It’s just that the thing you never understand about being a mother, until you are one, is that it is not the grown man—the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-s-just-that-the-thing-you-never-understand-about-being-a-mother/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [For me as a kid growing up, I was gay and I didn't even realise it, let alone accept it. 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For our tears Fill up the cup, then wash our pain away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/there-is-some-joy-in-weeping-for-our-tears-fill-up-the-cup-then-wash/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“We all have our moments of weakness, just as well that we are still capable of weeping, tears are often our salvation, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-all-have-our-moments-of-weakness-just-as-well-that-we-are-still-2/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Some say that the weeping willows once stood upright and strong, but that the broken hearts of lovers so touched the heart of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-emerson/some-say-that-the-weeping-willows-once-stood-upright-and-strong-but/) Ella Emerson > [We all have our moments of weakness, just as well that we are still capable of weeping, tears are often our salvation, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-all-have-our-moments-of-weakness-just-as-well-that-we-are-still/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“...the weeping, the tears of the hosts, whose sympathy underscores the inherent tragedy of my life as a transgender person, and this moment fulfilling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-wachowski/the-weeping-the-tears-of-the-hosts-whose-sympathy-underscores-the/) [Lana Wachowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-wachowski/) > [“But she had nothing. She had forbidden music. Grating her fingers in the bark, she damned the audience. Panic seized her. Blood seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/but-she-had-nothing-she-had-forbidden-music-grating-her-fingers-in/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“She was finally beginning to understand what her mother had meant––how opening up can make you vulnerable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-bowman/she-was-finally-beginning-to-understand-what-her-mother-had-meant-how/) [Erin Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-bowman/) > [“I was beginning to understand why my mother preferred solitude during the times that burdened her heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-lynn-tan/i-was-beginning-to-understand-why-my-mother-preferred-solitude-during/) Sue Lynn Tan > [“...now that I am a mother, I understand what Mother's Day is about: it's about looking through our lives and recognizing the act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/now-that-i-am-a-mother-i-understand-what-mother-s-day-is-about-it-s/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Mothers ... would do anything to steer their daughter the right way. It is frustrating beyond measure for them when a daughter screams, 'You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-flanagan/mothers-would-do-anything-to-steer-their-daughter-the-right-way-it-is/) [Caitlin Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-flanagan/) ## More by Jojo Moyes > [“How was she supposed to bear the prospect of never seeing him again? Never seeing his face light up simply because she had walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-was-she-supposed-to-bear-the-prospect-of-never-seeing-him-again/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I had a vague memory of the intensity of teenage female relationships; more of a passion than a normal friendship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-had-a-vague-memory-of-the-intensity-of-teenage-female-relationships/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I want him to live if HE wants to live. If he doesn't, then by forcing him to carry on, you, me… we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-want-him-to-live-if-he-wants-to-live-if-he-doesn-t-then-by-forcing/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [How is it possible to exist with so much pain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-is-it-possible-to-exist-with-so-much-pain/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“I often think that the ability to earn a living by doing the thing one loves must be one of life's greatest gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-often-think-that-the-ability-to-earn-a-living-by-doing-the-thing/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Nobody ever says "sweet girl" about someone they were in love with. It's like the whole "we'll still be friends" thing. 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"Oh, just trying to help my girlfriend get the best out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/good-to-meet-you-patrick-will-said-and-thank-you-for-the-advice-oh/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“How could I explain to this man how much I wanted to work? Did he have the slightest idea how much I missed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-could-i-explain-to-this-man-how-much-i-wanted-to-work-did-he-have/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [If I don't cry while writing a key emotional scene, my gut feeling is it's failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-i-don-t-cry-while-writing-a-key-emotional-scene-my-gut-feeling-is/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Still watches too much porn, though. You can tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/still-watches-too-much-porn-though-you-can-tell/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Four hours later Liv wakes in a box room with an Arsenal duet cover and a head that thumps so hard she has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/four-hours-later-liv-wakes-in-a-box-room-with-an-arsenal-duet-cover/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“It was a terrible thing to discover you no longer wanted the life that stretched out ahead of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-discover-you-no-longer-wanted-the-life/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [You cut yourself off from all sorts of experiences because you tell yourself you are ‘not that sort of person’” “But, I’m not.” “How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/you-cut-yourself-off-from-all-sorts-of-experiences-because-you-tell/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) [Explore all 274 Jojo Moyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) ## More Bullied quotes > [I was bullied since primary school, for everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-cambage/i-was-bullied-since-primary-school-for-everything/) [Liz Cambage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-cambage/) > [“I am Pluto. You can break me, reject me, and hurt me but I will never stop being a human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-sedlacek/i-am-pluto-you-can-break-me-reject-me-and-hurt-me-but-i-will-never/) Angelina Sedlacek > [“You fed us, washed us, forced that vile medicine down our throats. By sheer force of will you made some of us live who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-osborne/you-fed-us-washed-us-forced-that-vile-medicine-down-our-throats-by/) [Maggie Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-osborne/) > [I think it true that, you know, sometimes things start to change even before a government changes and, actually, I think you can begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/i-think-it-true-that-you-know-sometimes-things-start-to-change-even/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [Everybody either wanted to take care of me or push me around, you know? I was teased a lot, sure I was, of course.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hunt/everybody-either-wanted-to-take-care-of-me-or-push-me-around-you-know/) [Linda Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hunt/) > [I was brutally bullied in school. I had short hair and buck teeth and kids would call out to me in the most nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amyra-dastur/i-was-brutally-bullied-in-school-i-had-short-hair-and-buck-teeth-and/) [Amyra Dastur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amyra-dastur/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [As I became a filmmaker and realized that I had a voice, who better to speak for than kids that are bullied? It's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hirsch/as-i-became-a-filmmaker-and-realized-that-i-had-a-voice-who-better-to/) [Lee Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hirsch/) > [“You know I meant it. I am human. And male. And not remotely blind. Do you want me to say it again? You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/you-know-i-meant-it-i-am-human-and-male-and-not-remotely-blind-do-you/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [A certain section of the media was very... They bullied me and harassed me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallika-sherawat/a-certain-section-of-the-media-was-very-they-bullied-me-and-harassed/) [Mallika Sherawat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallika-sherawat/) > [I read that 36% of Latin kids drop out of high school, and we're the most bullied minority in schools right now. And my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/i-read-that-36-of-latin-kids-drop-out-of-high-school-and-we-re-the/) [John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/) > [Little kids who get picked on and bullied can relate to the Lucha Dragons, who are smaller, but they're quick and exciting and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-ziggler/little-kids-who-get-picked-on-and-bullied-can-relate-to-the-lucha/) [Dolph Ziggler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-ziggler/) > [Bullying can be physical, verbal or emotional. Words and threats are just as painful as fists, especially with social media these days. 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You see all the people he has ever been all rolled up into one. I look at him and see the baby I held in my arms, dewing besotted, unable to believe that I'd created another human being. I see the toddler, reaching for my hand, the schoolboy weeping tears of fury after being bullied  by some other child. 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