--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember that the first time I looked…" description: "\"I remember that the first time I looked at my son, of course I felt love. But I think the first feeling was not love: it was fear. Someone is needing m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/leila-slimani-14140_fear_i-remember-that-the-first-time-i-looked_1027794.jpg" --- # I remember that the first time I looked at my son, of… ![“I remember that the first time I looked at my son, of course I felt love. But I think the first feeling was not love: it was fear. Someone is needing me. If something happens to him, what am I going to do? Maybe I won't survive if something happens to him? The fear was as big as the love.” quote by Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/leila-slimani-14140_fear_i-remember-that-the-first-time-i-looked_1027794.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/leila-slimani-14140_fear_i-remember-that-the-first-time-i-looked_1027794.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/leila-slimani-14140_fear_i-remember-that-the-first-time-i-looked_1027794.jpg) > “I remember that the first time I looked at my son, of course I felt love. But I think the first feeling was not love: it was fear. Someone is needing me. If something happens to him, what am I going to do? Maybe I won't survive if something happens to him? The fear was as big as the love.” [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parental love is intertwined with deep fear for a child's safety, revealing vulnerability and responsibility. **In simple terms:** Love and fear coexist for a parent. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and manage protective fear. Themes parenthood vulnerability responsibility Mood empathetic concerned Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - new parenthood - caregiving - risk assessment - mental health Key Concepts attachment theory emotional complexity protective instincts Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape your parenting choices? - What strategies help balance love and fear? A Different Perspective Fear may dominate and hinder bonding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The emotion of fear often works overtime. 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It's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-fell-into-a-big-pit-of-black-depression-that-happens-sometimes-when/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [When I think of you I get this feeling that I want to see you. I miss you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jas-rob/when-i-think-of-you-i-get-this-feeling-that-i-want-to-see-you-i-miss/) Jas&rob > [I don't think about whether it's gonna be a dance record or a ballad or anything when I'm making music. I sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-smith/i-don-t-think-about-whether-it-s-gonna-be-a-dance-record-or-a-ballad/) [Sam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-smith/) > [I think if you're feeling great about where you are, everything that led up to it had to be terrific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/i-think-if-you-re-feeling-great-about-where-you-are-everything-that/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [“It’s one of the best parts of growing up and growing older, I think, that feeling that you’ll just get through one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-s-one-of-the-best-parts-of-growing-up-and-growing-older-i-think/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Many savage nations worship trees, and I really think my first feeling would be one of delight and interest rather than of surprise, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/many-savage-nations-worship-trees-and-i-really-think-my-first-feeling/) [John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/) > [“Think of your feeling as a six-year-old child: you want to listen to it, and then you need to be the faith-filled grown-up who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan-publishing/think-of-your-feeling-as-a-six-year-old-child-you-want-to-listen-to/) [Zondervan Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan-publishing/) ## More by Leila Slimani > [I don't listen to music. I know it's weird, and I have no explanation for that. But I never do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/i-don-t-listen-to-music-i-know-it-s-weird-and-i-have-no-explanation/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [All fiction is based on truth - 'Madame Bovary' is based on a true story!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/all-fiction-is-based-on-truth-madame-bovary-is-based-on-a-true-story/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [I think maternal instinct is a male construct that has been used for centuries to keep women in their place, at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/i-think-maternal-instinct-is-a-male-construct-that-has-been-used-for/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [You want your children to love the nanny, but at the same time, you want to stay the mother, and you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/you-want-your-children-to-love-the-nanny-but-at-the-same-time-you/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [The only way you can know someone is through their actions - you can never know what's going on inside them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/the-only-way-you-can-know-someone-is-through-their-actions-you-can/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [Human darkness fascinates me; I find it intriguing. And there are few female characters who are explored in this light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/human-darkness-fascinates-me-i-find-it-intriguing-and-there-are-few/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [I want to say that I can be Moroccan and speak about someone without speaking about his nationality. Because, you know, I have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/i-want-to-say-that-i-can-be-moroccan-and-speak-about-someone-without/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [My two sisters and I had a very nice nanny at home in Morocco until I was 13. 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You will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/you-have-to-fight-against-all-the-things-that-will-keep-you-out-of/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [When I was a little girl, my first link to the world was as a reader. Sometimes, I feel a nostalgia for those times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/when-i-was-a-little-girl-my-first-link-to-the-world-was-as-a-reader/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [For me, it is freedom, freedom from everything: when I write, I'm not a woman. I'm not a Muslim. I'm not a Moroccan. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/for-me-it-is-freedom-freedom-from-everything-when-i-write-i-m-not-a/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) [Explore all 45 Leila Slimani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. 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