--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping…" description: "\"Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping back ocean waves with a frazzled broom-the inundation of outside influences never stops. Whatever the lure-cars,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/mary-ellen-snodgrass-84163_adolescence_bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-b_2047600.jpg" --- # Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping back ocean waves… ![“Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping back ocean waves with a frazzled broom-the inundation of outside influences never stops. Whatever the lure-cars, easy money, cigarettes, drugs, booze, sex, crime-much that glitters along the shore has a thousand times the appeal of a parent's lecture.” quote by Mary Ellen Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/mary-ellen-snodgrass-84163_adolescence_bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-b_2047600.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/mary-ellen-snodgrass-84163_adolescence_bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-b_2047600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/mary-ellen-snodgrass-84163_adolescence_bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-b_2047600.jpg) > “Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping back ocean waves with a frazzled broom-the inundation of outside influences never stops. Whatever the lure-cars, easy money, cigarettes, drugs, booze, sex, crime-much that glitters along the shore has a thousand times the appeal of a parent's lecture.” [Mary Ellen Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-snodgrass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Raising teens feels endless as trying to stop a tide; external temptations constantly overwhelm parental guidance. **In simple terms:** Teenage parenting is a relentless battle against constant outside pressures. Key Takeaway Accept limits, stay consistent, and guide without trying to control everything. Themes parenting adolescence influence boundaries Mood frustrated hopeful determined Type advice reflective cautionary When to use this quote - family discussions - setting clear rules - monitoring media - building trust - community support Key Concepts psychology social pressure developmental challenges Questions to Reflect On - How can parents balance guidance with teen autonomy? - What strategies help teens resist pervasive temptations? A Different Perspective Parents cannot shield children from all influences; they must teach resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) [Appeals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeals/) [Booze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/booze/) [Bringing Teenagers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bringing-teenagers-3842079/) [Brooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooms/) [Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Cigarette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Easy money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-money/) [Glitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glitter/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Lure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lure/) [Lure Cars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lure-cars-3842081/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Ocean wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-wave/) [Ocean Waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-waves/) [Outside influences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-influences/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parent Lecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent-lecture-3842080/) [Sand Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sand-time/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shore/) [Sweeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweeping/) [Teenager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenager/) [Teenagers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenagers/) [Teenagers Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenagers-like-1331133/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Teenagers are like atoms when they're moving at hundreds of miles an hour and bouncing off each other. Everybody's got such a crazy hormonal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-yelchin/teenagers-are-like-atoms-when-they-re-moving-at-hundreds-of-miles-an/) [Anton Yelchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-yelchin/) > [Everything's a 360 and that's what's so funny about life now, and they're right at that age and I have teenagers now, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginuwine/everything-s-a-360-and-that-s-what-s-so-funny-about-life-now-and-they/) [Ginuwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginuwine/) > [Become you as a teenagers, would like to do you loved every second youngboys but nobody will not waste time in understanding your emotions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/become-you-as-a-teenagers-would-like-to-do-you-loved-every-second/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Teenagers are like cats - they have important business that doesn't involve mere humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-smith/teenagers-are-like-cats-they-have-important-business-that-doesn-t/) [Julie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-smith/) > [The problem is that everybody treats teenagers like they're stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/the-problem-is-that-everybody-treats-teenagers-like-they-re-stupid/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [“The problem is that everyday treats teenagers like they're stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/the-problem-is-that-everyday-treats-teenagers-like-they-re-stupid/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-o to a tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/raising-teenagers-is-like-nailing-jell-o-to-a-tree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People talk about writing convincing teenagers like it's a really clever thing to do, but it comes incredibly naturally to me. Which, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/people-talk-about-writing-convincing-teenagers-like-it-s-a-really/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/life-with-most-teenagers-was-like-having-a-low-grade-bladder/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Teenagers are like bees at night, I think. We don't like waking up and we don't always get with the program immediately, but once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bauer/teenagers-are-like-bees-at-night-i-think-we-don-t-like-waking-up-and/) [Joan Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bauer/) > [Many teenagers would like to have emotional outlet whenever they experience family problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-teenagers-would-like-to-have-emotional-outlet-whenever-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God is always seeking you. Every sunset. Every clear blue sky. Each ocean wave. The starry hosts of night. He blankets each new day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-giglio/god-is-always-seeking-you-every-sunset-every-clear-blue-sky-each/) [Louie Giglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-giglio/) > [Waves are the voices of tides. Tides are life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamora-pierce/waves-are-the-voices-of-tides-tides-are-life/) [Tamora Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamora-pierce/) > [“Today is my thirtieth birthday and I sit on the ocean wave in the schoolyard and wait for Kate and think of nothing. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/today-is-my-thirtieth-birthday-and-i-sit-on-the-ocean-wave-in-the/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“Love is like that. It's a real thing. It isn't governed by laws that men make up because they believe in something that isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-skinner/love-is-like-that-it-s-a-real-thing-it-isn-t-governed-by-laws-that/) [Dan Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-skinner/) ## More by Mary Ellen Snodgrass > [The sweet reward for preparation often does not come in the youthful twenties or staid thirties. It arrives - with accrued interest - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-snodgrass/the-sweet-reward-for-preparation-often-does-not-come-in-the-youthful/) [Mary Ellen Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-snodgrass/) > [Southerners have been known to stay over the Fourth and not get home before Thanksgiving. Some oldtimers take in overnight guests and keep them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-snodgrass/southerners-have-been-known-to-stay-over-the-fourth-and-not-get-home/) [Mary Ellen Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-snodgrass/) [Explore all 3 Mary Ellen Snodgrass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-snodgrass/) ## More Adolescence quotes > [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/) [Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/) > [Having children truly ends adolescence. We are all either parents or children: responsibility-takers or those who demand from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/having-children-truly-ends-adolescence-we-are-all-either-parents-or/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [The idols of one's adolescence tend to endure - you never forget how you worshipped them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-idols-of-one-s-adolescence-tend-to-endure-you-never-forget-how/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [The donning of the ear buds marks the beginning of teen life, when children set off on their own for the passage through adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/the-donning-of-the-ear-buds-marks-the-beginning-of-teen-life-when/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [Adolescence is when the very worst and best impulses in the human soul struggle against each other for possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/adolescence-is-when-the-very-worst-and-best-impulses-in-the-human/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [Most adults would not dream of belittling, humiliating, or bullying (verbally or physically) another adult. But many of the same adults think nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/most-adults-would-not-dream-of-belittling-humiliating-or-bullying/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [ I remember realizing, when I did Little Women \[1994\], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-remember-realizing-when-i-did-little-women-1994-that-that-was-the/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Content without style is propaganda or adolescence. Style without content is decadence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/content-without-style-is-propaganda-or-adolescence-style-without/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [Adolescence is interesting. I mean, all of life is interesting and all of life is transitionary. But I think there is an exponential growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/adolescence-is-interesting-i-mean-all-of-life-is-interesting-and-all/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) [Browse all 787 Adolescence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping back ocean waves with a frazzled broom-the inundation of outside influences never stops. Whatever the lure-cars, easy money, cigarettes, drugs, booze, sex, crime-much that glitters along the shore has a thousand times the appeal of a parent's lecture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Ellen Snodgrass" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-snodgrass/bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-back-ocean-waves-with-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adolescence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-snodgrass/bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-back-ocean-waves-with-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/mary-ellen-snodgrass-84163_adolescence_bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-b_2047600.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/mary-ellen-snodgrass-84163_adolescence_bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-b_2047600.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/mary-ellen-snodgrass-84163_adolescence_bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-b_2047600.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping back ocean waves with a frazzled broom-the inundation of outside…” — Mary Ellen Snodgrass", "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 Ellen Snodgrass", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-snodgrass/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bringing up teenagers is like sweeping...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-snodgrass/bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-back-ocean-waves-with-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-snodgrass/bringing-up-teenagers-is-like-sweeping-back-ocean-waves-with-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 } } ] } ```