---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can one explain all the time and…"
description: "\"How can one explain all the time and thought that goes into raising a child, all the opportunities for mistakes, all the chances to recover and try aga..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/mary-blakely-18888_break_how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-tho_3041897.jpg"
---

#  How can one explain all the time and thought that goes…

![“How can one explain all the time and thought that goes into raising a child, all the opportunities for mistakes, all the chances to recover and try again? How does one break the news that nothing permanent can be formed in an instant--children are not weaned, potty trained, taught manners…” quote by Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/mary-blakely-18888_break_how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-tho_3041897.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/mary-blakely-18888_break_how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-tho_3041897.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/mary-blakely-18888_break_how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-tho_3041897.jpg)

> “How can one explain all the time and thought that goes into raising a child, all the opportunities for mistakes, all the chances to recover and try again? How does one break the news that nothing permanent can be formed in an instant--children are not weaned, potty trained, taught manners, introduced to civilization in one or two tries--as everyone imagined.”

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Raising children is a continuous learning process with inevitable mistakes and recovery.

**In simple terms:** Parenting involves trial and error.

Key Takeaway

Embrace mistakes as growth.

Themes

parenting growth resilience

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- family life
- education
- child development

Key Concepts

developmental psychology learning cycles

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you support a child after a setback?
- What habits foster resilience?

A Different Perspective

No quick fixes for complex development.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Weaned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-weaned-5018161/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Instant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant/) [Instant Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant-children-5018160/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent/) [Potty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potty/) [Raising Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raising-child/) [Raising children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raising-children/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-thought/) [Try again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-again/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/)

## Related quotes

> [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [Those who have gone through a divorce know the pain and special challenges of raising a child under such circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mcgavick/those-who-have-gone-through-a-divorce-know-the-pain-and-special/)

[Mike McGavick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mcgavick/)

> [The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pittman/the-end-product-of-child-raising-is-not-the-child-but-the-parent/)

[Frank Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pittman/)

> [Hillary Clinton famously talked about how raising a child takes a village. Except our society isn't set up that way. We're organized in nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-weymouth/hillary-clinton-famously-talked-about-how-raising-a-child-takes-a/)

[Katharine Weymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-weymouth/)

> [I'm raising a child, and it's public. The media creates these dramas, and that's not what's happening in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-moynahan/i-m-raising-a-child-and-it-s-public-the-media-creates-these-dramas/)

[Bridget Moynahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-moynahan/)

> [It has been said that the hardest job in the world is raising a child, but the people who says this have probably never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-has-been-said-that-the-hardest-job-in-the-world-is-raising-a-child/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Raising a child is very much like building a skyscraper. If the first few stories are slightly out of line. no one will notice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/raising-a-child-is-very-much-like-building-a-skyscraper-if-the-first/)

[Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/)

> [Raising a child is an on-the-job kind of thing. There arent a whole lot of manuals for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-elder/raising-a-child-is-an-on-the-job-kind-of-thing-there-arent-a-whole/)

[Larry Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-elder/)

> [I think the best thing a parent can do, when raising a child, is simply get out of their way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-think-the-best-thing-a-parent-can-do-when-raising-a-child-is-simply/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Raising a child is the only relationship you have where if you do it right, it will end in separation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-foner-gyllenhaal/raising-a-child-is-the-only-relationship-you-have-where-if-you-do-it/)

[Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-foner-gyllenhaal/)

> [You spend some time raising a child in London, carrying it around on one side of your body - it puts your back out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-spend-some-time-raising-a-child-in-london-carrying-it-around-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't think that anyone can prepare for raising a child. I think it's one of those jobs that is far more overwhelming than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-edelstein/i-don-t-think-that-anyone-can-prepare-for-raising-a-child-i-think-it/)

[Lisa Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-edelstein/)

> [In Taiwan there's a saying: Raising a child is more important than giving birth. Raising a child is greater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chien-ming-wang/in-taiwan-there-s-a-saying-raising-a-child-is-more-important-than/)

[Chien-Ming Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chien-ming-wang/)

> [Raising a child is like taking care of someone who's on way too many shrooms, while you yourself are on a moderate amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-funches/raising-a-child-is-like-taking-care-of-someone-who-s-on-way-too-many/)

[Ron Funches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-funches/)

> [ Years ago someone wrote \[about me\]: 'She characterizes Molly Weasley as a mother who is only at home looking after the children.' I was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/years-ago-someone-wrote-about-me-she-characterizes-molly-weasley-as-a/)

[J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/)

## More by Mary Blakely

> [The truth invariably arrives several years after you need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/the-truth-invariably-arrives-several-years-after-you-need-it/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [However diligent she may be, however dedicated, no mother can escape the larger influences of culture, biology,fate . . . until we can actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/however-diligent-she-may-be-however-dedicated-no-mother-can-escape/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [In motherhood, where seemingly opposite realities can be simultaneously true, the role of nurturer invariably conflicts with the role of socializer. When trouble came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/in-motherhood-where-seemingly-opposite-realities-can-be/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [Mothers are likely to have more bad days on the job than most other professionals, considering the hours: round-the-clock, seven days a week, fifty-two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/mothers-are-likely-to-have-more-bad-days-on-the-job-than-most-other/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [By now, legions of tireless essayists and op-ed columnists have dressed feminists down for making such a fuss about entering the professions and earning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/by-now-legions-of-tireless-essayists-and-op-ed-columnists-have/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [Families don't always realize that mother is exhausted, because mother is always exhausted. Exhausted is what looks normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/families-don-t-always-realize-that-mother-is-exhausted-because-mother/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [If my sons are to become the kind of men our daughters would be pleased to live among, attention to domestic details is critical.The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/if-my-sons-are-to-become-the-kind-of-men-our-daughters-would-be/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [After I discovered the real life of mothers bore little resemblance to the plot outlined in most of the books and articles I'd read,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/after-i-discovered-the-real-life-of-mothers-bore-little-resemblance/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [A "snapshot" feature in USA Today listed the five greatest concerns parents and teachers had about children in the '50s: talking out of turn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/a-snapshot-feature-in-usa-today-listed-the-five-greatest-concerns/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [Most literature on the culture of adolescence focuses on peer pressure as a negative force. Warnings about the "wrong crowd" read like tornado alerts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/most-literature-on-the-culture-of-adolescence-focuses-on-peer/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [However global I strove to become in my thinking over the past twenty years, my sons kept me rooted to an utterly pedestrian view,intimately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/however-global-i-strove-to-become-in-my-thinking-over-the-past-twenty/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [In the range of things toddlers have to learn and endlessly review--why you can't put bottles with certain labels in your mouth, why you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/in-the-range-of-things-toddlers-have-to-learn-and-endlessly-review/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [When trouble comes no mother should have to plead guilty alone. The pediatricians, psychologists, therapists, goat herders, fathers, and peer groups should all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/when-trouble-comes-no-mother-should-have-to-plead-guilty-alone-the/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [It takes twenty or so years before a mother can know with any certainty how effective her theories have been--and even then thereare surprises.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/it-takes-twenty-or-so-years-before-a-mother-can-know-with-any/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

> [One life stamps and influences another, which in turn stamps and influences another, on and on, until the soul of human experience breathes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/one-life-stamps-and-influences-another-which-in-turn-stamps-and/)

[Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

[Explore all 34 Mary Blakely quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/)

## More Break quotes

> [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/)

[Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/)

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

> [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/)

[Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/)

> [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/)

[Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dunne/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

[Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How can one explain all the time and thought that goes into raising a child, all the opportunities for mistakes, all the chances to recover and try again? How does one break the news that nothing permanent can be formed in an instant--children are not weaned, potty trained, taught manners, introduced to civilization in one or two tries--as everyone imagined.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Blakely"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-thought-that-goes-into-raising-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Break"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-thought-that-goes-into-raising-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/mary-blakely-18888_break_how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-tho_3041897.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/mary-blakely-18888_break_how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-tho_3041897.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/mary-blakely-18888_break_how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-tho_3041897.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How can one explain all the time and thought that goes into raising a child, all the opportunities for…” — Mary Blakely",
                "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": "Mary Blakely",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How can one explain all the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-thought-that-goes-into-raising-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/how-can-one-explain-all-the-time-and-thought-that-goes-into-raising-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
