---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having a thirteen-year-old in the family…"
description: "\"Having a thirteen-year-old in the family is like having a general-admission ticket to the movies, radio and TV. You get to understand that the glitteri..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/max-lerner-9870_admission_having-a-thirteen-year-old-in-the-family_1037241.jpg"
---

#  Having a thirteen-year-old in the family is like having a…

![“Having a thirteen-year-old in the family is like having a general-admission ticket to the movies, radio and TV. You get to understand that the glittering new arts of our civilization are directed to the teen-agers, and by their suffrage they stand or fall.” quote by Max Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/max-lerner-9870_admission_having-a-thirteen-year-old-in-the-family_1037241.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/max-lerner-9870_admission_having-a-thirteen-year-old-in-the-family_1037241.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71a/max-lerner-9870_admission_having-a-thirteen-year-old-in-the-family_1037241.jpg)

> “Having a thirteen-year-old in the family is like having a general-admission ticket to the movies, radio and TV. You get to understand that the glittering new arts of our civilization are directed to the teen-agers, and by their suffrage they stand or fall.”

[Max Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lerner/)

## About This Quote

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

Teenagers drive popular media; their preferences determine cultural success or failure.

**In simple terms:** Teens shape media trends and cultural direction.

Key Takeaway

Recognize teen influence on culture.

Themes

media youth culture influence

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

critical observational

When to use this quote

- advertising
- television programming
- music industry

Key Concepts

cultural dynamics generational impact

Questions to Reflect On

- How does teen culture affect long‑term artistic value?
- What responsibilities do creators have toward young audiences?

A Different Perspective

Teen preferences can be fleeting and unpredictable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Suffrage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffrage/) [Teenage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenage/) [Teenager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenager/) [Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirteen/) [Thirteen year olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirteen-year-olds/)

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> [it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/it-seems-to-me-that-later-on-neither-i-nor-anyone-else-will-be/)

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> [She had the underwear of a thirteen-year-old, as well, he thought. He glanced back at her. But the shoes of a courtesan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/she-had-the-underwear-of-a-thirteen-year-old-as-well-he-thought-he/)

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> [It's my heart that is tired. A thirteen-year-old heart shouldn't feel like this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/it-s-my-heart-that-is-tired-a-thirteen-year-old-heart-shouldn-t-feel/)

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> [What are you doing here, honey? You're not even old enough to know how bad life gets." (...) "Obviously, Doctor," she said, "you've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/what-are-you-doing-here-honey-you-re-not-even-old-enough-to-know-how/)

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> [I was a thirteen-year-old boy for thirty years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/i-was-a-thirteen-year-old-boy-for-thirty-years/)

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> [A thirteen-year-old is a kaleidoscope of different personalities, if not in most ways a mere figment of her own imagination. At that age, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/a-thirteen-year-old-is-a-kaleidoscope-of-different-personalities-if/)

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## More by Max Lerner

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