--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was old enough to take baths in…" description: "\"“When I was old enough to take baths in the bathtub, and to know I had a penis and a scrotum and everything, I asked her not to sit in the room with me..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/jonathan-safran-foer-136_bathtub_when-i-was-old-enough-to-take-baths-in-t_2160562.jpg" --- # When I was old enough to take baths in the bathtub, and to… ![“When I was old enough to take baths in the bathtub, and to know I had a penis and a scrotum and everything, I asked her not to sit in the room with me. "Why not?" "Privacy." "Privacy from what? From me?" I didn't want to hurt her feelings, because not hurting her feelings is another of my raisons…” quote by jonathan safran foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/jonathan-safran-foer-136_bathtub_when-i-was-old-enough-to-take-baths-in-t_2160562.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/jonathan-safran-foer-136_bathtub_when-i-was-old-enough-to-take-baths-in-t_2160562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/jonathan-safran-foer-136_bathtub_when-i-was-old-enough-to-take-baths-in-t_2160562.jpg) > ““When I was old enough to take baths in the bathtub, and to know I had a penis and a scrotum and everything, I asked her not to sit in the room with me. "Why not?" "Privacy." "Privacy from what? From me?" I didn't want to hurt her feelings, because not hurting her feelings is another of my raisons d'etre. "Just privacy," I said...She agreed to wait outside, but only if I held a ball of yarn, which went under the bathroom door and was connected to the scarf she was knitting. Every few seconds she would give it a tug, and I had to tug back--undoing what she had just done--so that she could know I was OK.”” [jonathan safran foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A child seeks personal space while navigating the complexities of caring for a parent, using a simple game to signal safety and respect. **In simple terms:** A kid wants privacy but still wants to reassure his mom. Key Takeaway Balance personal boundaries with caring for others. Themes family privacy growth communication empathy Mood thoughtful intimate reflective Type narrative emotional family When to use this quote - bathroom privacy - parent-child interaction - asking for space - reassuring loved ones Key Concepts boundaries parental care emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you ask for privacy without hurting loved ones? - What small actions can signal safety to others? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify deeper emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that if you took privacy and you said, I'm willing to give up all of my privacy to be secure. So you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/i-believe-that-if-you-took-privacy-and-you-said-i-m-willing-to-give/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I was very protective of my privacy. I didn't want people to write bad things about me that weren't true, because that's just not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-was-very-protective-of-my-privacy-i-didn-t-want-people-to-write-bad/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [“I told your mother to have you call me. I didn’t want to invade your privacy if you didn’t want me to have your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/i-told-your-mother-to-have-you-call-me-i-didn-t-want-to-invade-your/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [“Once we finished, she climbed off me, went to the bathroom to clean up, then came back to bed with a rag, wiping me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-rose-reynolds/once-we-finished-she-climbed-off-me-went-to-the-bathroom-to-clean-up/) [Aurora Rose Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aurora-rose-reynolds/) > [“I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. 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This was when we were first dating, so I wanted to impress her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/i-took-my-wife-to-a-really-expensive-hotel-in-dubai-this-was-when-we/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) > [“He thinks about it for a moment. "All right. I'll go firts" He takes a deep breath. Do you know what a bidet is?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-ponti/he-thinks-about-it-for-a-moment-all-right-i-ll-go-firts-he-takes-a/) Jamie Ponti ## More by jonathan safran foer > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I try not to remember the life that I didn’t want to lose but lost and have to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-try-not-to-remember-the-life-that-i-didn-t-want-to-lose-but-lost/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“I have an aristocratic smile and like to punch people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-have-an-aristocratic-smile-and-like-to-punch-people/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [He removed several pages of death certificates, which were picked up by another breeze and sent into the trees. 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We eat foods that are native to America on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/food-is-not-so-much-a-symbol-of-freedom-as-the-first-requirement-of/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Rationally, factory farming is so obviously wrong, in so many ways. In all of my reading and conversations, I’ve yet to find a credible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/rationally-factory-farming-is-so-obviously-wrong-in-so-many-ways-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Just because you're an atheist, that doesn't mean you wouldn't love for things to have reasons for why they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/just-because-you-re-an-atheist-that-doesn-t-mean-you-wouldn-t-love/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Do you think I'm wonderful? she asked him one day as they leaned against the trunk of a petrified maple. No, he said. Why?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/do-you-think-i-m-wonderful-she-asked-him-one-day-as-they-leaned/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [My insides don't match up with my outsides. -Do anyone's inside and outsides match up? -I don't know. I'm only me. -Maybe that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/my-insides-don-t-match-up-with-my-outsides-do-anyone-s-inside-and/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) [Explore all 1,117 jonathan safran foer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## More Bathtub quotes > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [There's no way I would have got to see so much of the world, with my humble background, without modelling. We were penniless and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/there-s-no-way-i-would-have-got-to-see-so-much-of-the-world-with-my/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [You can swim, too." he says. "Where did you learn that in District Twelve?" "We have a very big bathtub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/you-can-swim-too-he-says-where-did-you-learn-that-in-district-twelve/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I have a really great bathtub, and I unwind by taking baths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-jayne/i-have-a-really-great-bathtub-and-i-unwind-by-taking-baths/) [Erika Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-jayne/) > [“I make love like I sing—in a choir, alone in the bathtub.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-make-love-like-i-sing-in-a-choir-alone-in-the-bathtub/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I remember being a bathtub singer. You know, the type that sings and everybody's like, 'Shut up.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-paul/i-remember-being-a-bathtub-singer-you-know-the-type-that-sings-and/) [Sean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-paul/) > [“Scientists may have sophisticated laboratories, But never forget 'eureka' was inspired in a bathtub.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/scientists-may-have-sophisticated-laboratories-but-never-forget/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Whenever I play Las Vegas, they always give you a suite, and it's really nice, and it always comes with a large bathtub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iliza-shlesinger/whenever-i-play-las-vegas-they-always-give-you-a-suite-and-it-s/) [Iliza Shlesinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iliza-shlesinger/) > [Being in a bathtub with Jackie Chan, I don't know, it has a way of bonding you I'll tell you that. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/being-in-a-bathtub-with-jackie-chan-i-don-t-know-it-has-a-way-of/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [When someone says, 'I'm not political,' I feel like what they're saying is, 'I only care about myself. In my bathtub. Me and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/when-someone-says-i-m-not-political-i-feel-like-what-they-re-saying/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Being in a floodplain is like sitting down in a bathtub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hunter/being-in-a-floodplain-is-like-sitting-down-in-a-bathtub/) [Robert Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hunter/) > [“There must be quite a few things a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. Whenever I’m sad I’m going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/there-must-be-quite-a-few-things-a-hot-bath-won-t-cure-but-i-don-t/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [For some it is harder to write a novel than to row a bathtub across the North Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/for-some-it-is-harder-to-write-a-novel-than-to-row-a-bathtub-across/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [I would prefer my kids not to be in the redneck bathtub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honey-boo-boo-child/i-would-prefer-my-kids-not-to-be-in-the-redneck-bathtub/) [Honey Boo Boo Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honey-boo-boo-child/) > [You might be a redneck if you can tell your age by the number of rings in the bathtub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-you-can-tell-your-age-by-the-number-of/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) Browse all 69 Bathtub quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I was old enough to take baths in the bathtub, and to know I had a penis and a scrotum and everything, I asked her not to sit in the room with me. \"Why not?\" \"Privacy.\" \"Privacy from what? From me?\" I didn't want to hurt her feelings, because not hurting her feelings is another of my raisons d'etre. \"Just privacy,\" I said...She agreed to wait outside, but only if I held a ball of yarn, which went under the bathroom door and was connected to the scarf she was knitting. 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