--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of…" description: "\"“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing--reading stories about cabooses with smiley..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1404366.jpg" --- # Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child… ![“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing--reading stories about cabooses with smiley faces at bedtime, feeding glop into slack mouths--all seemed like pictures of someone else. I dreaded confrontation with what could prove a closed…” quote by Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1404366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1404366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1404366.jpg) > ““Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing--reading stories about cabooses with smiley faces at bedtime, feeding glop into slack mouths--all seemed like pictures of someone else. I dreaded confrontation with what could prove a closed, stony nature, my own selfishness and lack of generosity, the thick, tarry powers of my own resentment. However intrigued by a 'turn of the page,' I was mortified by the prospect of becoming hopelessly trapped in someone else's story.”” [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The fear of parenthood stems from confronting personal flaws and the loss of self‑authorship, fearing being trapped in another’s narrative. **In simple terms:** Becoming a parent forces confronting inner selfishness and losing personal story control. Key Takeaway Embrace vulnerability, rewrite your story. Themes family self growth Mood anxious introspective Type literary personal When to use this quote - pregnancy - early parenting - personal therapy Key Concepts identity parenthood self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself fear losing? - How can you keep personal agency? A Different Perspective Fear can also motivate growth and deeper empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Got Pregnant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-pregnant/) [Having Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-child/) [Pregnant Visions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pregnant-visions-1590222/) [Reading stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-stories/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) [Terrified Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified-having-1590221/) ## Related quotes > [“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing- reading stories about cabooses with smiley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-having-a-child-before-i-got-2/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [I'm terrified of having to go back to a day job. And that's why I'm training like a man possessed. Because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bisping/i-m-terrified-of-having-to-go-back-to-a-day-job-and-that-s-why-i-m/) [Michael Bisping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bisping/) > [I'm terrified of having a little girl. Girls are more evil than boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/i-m-terrified-of-having-a-little-girl-girls-are-more-evil-than-boys/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [We're terrified of not having the answers, and we would sometimes rather assert an incorrect answer than make our peace with the fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/we-re-terrified-of-not-having-the-answers-and-we-would-sometimes/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I've just always been terrified of having to speak in front of people. When I used to go in school and then I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-potter/i-ve-just-always-been-terrified-of-having-to-speak-in-front-of-people/) [Dean Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-potter/) > [I'm terrified of having a toddler + a newborn + no family nearby + a hubby with crummy vacation time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-terrified-of-having-a-toddler-a-newborn-no-family-nearby-a-hubby/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ ~I got pregnant, and I was like, 'Oh God, it worked! Oh no!' Chris \[Ivery, her husband\] and I were super happy, then I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-pompeo/i-got-pregnant-and-i-was-like-oh-god-it-worked-oh-no-chris-ivery-her/) [Ellen Pompeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-pompeo/) > [When I got pregnant with my second son, I still hadn't lost weight from the first, and since I came from a long line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hollis/when-i-got-pregnant-with-my-second-son-i-still-hadn-t-lost-weight/) [Rachel Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hollis/) > [“...a large contingent of people majoring in English by default. Because they weren't left-brained enough for science, because history was too dry, philosophy too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/a-large-contingent-of-people-majoring-in-english-by-default-because/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Bombs are falling and we're reading stories, I thought. I have entered the realm of the insane. -Jacob”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/bombs-are-falling-and-we-re-reading-stories-i-thought-i-have-entered/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [in reading ... stories, you can be many different people in many different places, doing things you would never have a chance to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-babbitt/in-reading-stories-you-can-be-many-different-people-in-many-different/) [Natalie Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-babbitt/) > [“I consider myself more of a story teller than a writer. My readers constantly say that reading one of my stories is like watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-a-morris/i-consider-myself-more-of-a-story-teller-than-a-writer-my-readers/) [P.A. Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-a-morris/) > [I was enjoying myself writing, because I don't know what's going to happen when I take a ride around that corner. You don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-enjoying-myself-writing-because-i-don-t-know-what-s-going-to/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“And yet sometimes she worried about what those musty old books were doing to her. Some people majored in English to prepare for law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides-the-marriage-plot-2/and-yet-sometimes-she-worried-about-what-those-musty-old-books-were/) [Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides-the-marriage-plot-2/) > [When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) ## More by Lionel Shriver > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I’m a journalist, and journalists need news. Deprive them of it, and they go a bit barking. Deprive them of news long enough, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-m-a-journalist-and-journalists-need-news-deprive-them-of-it-and/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“One of the things I learned with Charles," said Gray carefully, "was that finding someone like you does not necessarily mean that either of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/one-of-the-things-i-learned-with-charles-said-gray-carefully-was-that/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [In the particular dwells the tawdry. In the conceptual dwells the grand, the transcendent, the everlasting. Earthly countries and single malignant boys can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/in-the-particular-dwells-the-tawdry-in-the-conceptual-dwells-the/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“The idea is that you don't only have one destiny. Younger and younger, kids are pressed to decide what they want to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-idea-is-that-you-don-t-only-have-one-destiny-younger-and-younger/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [Oddly, for a book to do well merely because people like it is surprisingly rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/oddly-for-a-book-to-do-well-merely-because-people-like-it-is/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [The sign that I don't like the book I'm reading is finding myself watching reruns of 'Come Dine With Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-sign-that-i-don-t-like-the-book-i-m-reading-is-finding-myself/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [We speak often of 'destroying the planet' when what we mean is destroying its habitability for humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/we-speak-often-of-destroying-the-planet-when-what-we-mean-is/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [My agent had warned that, while a fine film would do my profile a world of good, a bad one wouldn't help me at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/my-agent-had-warned-that-while-a-fine-film-would-do-my-profile-a/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I think that's the biggest favor you can grant anyone, don't you? Permission to be dull. I know Henry will sometimes say something so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-think-that-s-the-biggest-favor-you-can-grant-anyone-don-t-you/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“They were determined to find something mechanically wrong with him - because broken machines are easier to fix. p303”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/they-were-determined-to-find-something-mechanically-wrong-with-him/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“Bur Armenians have a talent for sorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/bur-armenians-have-a-talent-for-sorrow/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“What is cool changes; that there is such a thing as cool is immutable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/what-is-cool-changes-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as-cool-is-immutable/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I have theorized that you can locate most people on a spectrum of the crudest sort and that it may be their position on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-have-theorized-that-you-can-locate-most-people-on-a-spectrum-of-the/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) [Explore all 375 Lionel Shriver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing--reading stories about cabooses with smiley faces at bedtime, feeding glop into slack mouths--all seemed like pictures of someone else. I dreaded confrontation with what could prove a closed, stony nature, my own selfishness and lack of generosity, the thick, tarry powers of my own resentment. However intrigued by a 'turn of the page,' I was mortified by the prospect of becoming hopelessly trapped in someone else's story.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lionel Shriver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-having-a-child-before-i-got/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-having-a-child-before-i-got/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1404366.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1404366.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1404366.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child…” — Lionel Shriver", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lionel Shriver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-having-a-child-before-i-got/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-having-a-child-before-i-got/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```