--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the kids were growing up, I think…" description: "\"When the kids were growing up, I think they thought the worst thing about me being a mom is that I would laugh at them. They would say something that t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/micah-perks-26964_being-a-mom_when-the-kids-were-growing-up-i-think-th_1844836.jpg" --- # When the kids were growing up, I think they thought the… ![“When the kids were growing up, I think they thought the worst thing about me being a mom is that I would laugh at them. They would say something that they thought was serious and intense and I would laugh. I thought it was funny, but they don't want to be laughed at.” quote by Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/micah-perks-26964_being-a-mom_when-the-kids-were-growing-up-i-think-th_1844836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/micah-perks-26964_being-a-mom_when-the-kids-were-growing-up-i-think-th_1844836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/micah-perks-26964_being-a-mom_when-the-kids-were-growing-up-i-think-th_1844836.jpg) > “When the kids were growing up, I think they thought the worst thing about me being a mom is that I would laugh at them. They would say something that they thought was serious and intense and I would laugh. I thought it was funny, but they don't want to be laughed at.” [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother’s laughter, intended as humor, can unintentionally dismiss children’s seriousness, causing tension and feelings of being misunderstood. **In simple terms:** Laughing at kids’ serious moments can hurt them. Key Takeaway Balance humor with empathy. Themes parenting communication empathy humor family dynamics Mood conflicted thoughtful Type advisory reflective When to use this quote - family gatherings - parent‑child conversations - conflict resolution Key Concepts emotional intelligence boundary setting trust building Questions to Reflect On - When is laughter appropriate? - How can parents validate feelings while staying light? A Different Perspective Humor may undermine credibility if mistimed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being a mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-mom/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Laugh Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-thought-1054727/) [Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughed/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Mom Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom-laugh-707933/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-funny-233671/) [Thought Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-worst-664123/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-thing/) [Worst things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-things/) ## Related quotes > [I always wanted to make this film or another film. I thought the worst thing you could do was to react to Slumdog's success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/i-always-wanted-to-make-this-film-or-another-film-i-thought-the-worst/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [I have a mom who has made me laugh, hugged me tight, watched me succeed, saw me fail, cheered me on, and kept me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-have-a-mom-who-has-made-me-laugh-hugged-me-tight-watched-me-succeed/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I really loved making my mom laugh, and I knew that she thought that I was funny. It was really valuable, in my home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/i-really-loved-making-my-mom-laugh-and-i-knew-that-she-thought-that-i/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [Ooh, big day in town for our park warden,” I said. “They’re even making you wear the uniform. Hayley’s mom will be happy. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/ooh-big-day-in-town-for-our-park-warden-i-said-they-re-even-making/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [You make me laugh I once thought you were the one now I realize all you were is a joker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrcountry/you-make-me-laugh-i-once-thought-you-were-the-one-now-i-realize-all/) [MrCountry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrcountry/) > [Anytime my father, who would visit sometimes, would come around, my goal was to make him laugh because I thought that would make him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hinchcliffe/anytime-my-father-who-would-visit-sometimes-would-come-around-my-goal/) [Tony Hinchcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hinchcliffe/) > [“If evil had a laugh, she thought it would sound like his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/if-evil-had-a-laugh-she-thought-it-would-sound-like-his/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [I bet you laugh, at the thought of me thinking for myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silverstein/i-bet-you-laugh-at-the-thought-of-me-thinking-for-myself/) [Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silverstein/) > [I think it was somewhere around age 3 when I fell down the stairs at my house, and I got up and did a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/i-think-it-was-somewhere-around-age-3-when-i-fell-down-the-stairs-at/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [In 2013 Im goin to sit back, watch the movie 2012 and laugh at those who thought the world was goin to end..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-2013-im-goin-to-sit-back-watch-the-movie-2012-and-laugh-at-those/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He didn't laugh when he thought something was funny--he laughed when he was happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/he-didn-t-laugh-when-he-thought-something-was-funny-he-laughed-when/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [I put the storyboard down and came back to it like two weeks later and saw that I had written 'Butt-Head' next to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-judge/i-put-the-storyboard-down-and-came-back-to-it-like-two-weeks-later/) [Mike Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-judge/) > [I was looking at the Trump hits on me, I have to confess, all of which made me laugh. And I thought, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/i-was-looking-at-the-trump-hits-on-me-i-have-to-confess-all-of-which/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [We always thought we'd look back on our tears and laugh, but we never thought we'd look back on our laughter and cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-always-thought-we-d-look-back-on-our-tears-and-laugh-but-we-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always thought I would look back at my tears and laugh,but I never thought I would look back at my laughter and cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-stevens/i-always-thought-i-would-look-back-at-my-tears-and-laugh-but-i-never/) [Cat Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-stevens/) ## More by Micah Perks > [I love ghost stories, I love to read them, and I love the idea of being haunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-love-ghost-stories-i-love-to-read-them-and-i-love-the-idea-of-being/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [It is radical for a woman to choose to survive and to choose to eat anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/it-is-radical-for-a-woman-to-choose-to-survive-and-to-choose-to-eat/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [There are so many people who write really interesting work and try super hard and still don't get published.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/there-are-so-many-people-who-write-really-interesting-work-and-try/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [I don't make fun of my characters. I just like to laugh and I think people are funny and the world is funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-don-t-make-fun-of-my-characters-i-just-like-to-laugh-and-i-think/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [Nice girls are not supposed to be hungry. They are not supposed to feed themselves or care about their own food. They're definitely not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/nice-girls-are-not-supposed-to-be-hungry-they-are-not-supposed-to/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [I know books that are really good and writers that are really good and they have become oppressed and ground down from the rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-know-books-that-are-really-good-and-writers-that-are-really-good/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [My natural tendency is to fall in love with language and character and setting, and kind of forget about pacing. Narrative tension doesn't come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/my-natural-tendency-is-to-fall-in-love-with-language-and-character/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [I laugh when I'm writing. I feel like all my work is funny to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-laugh-when-i-m-writing-i-feel-like-all-my-work-is-funny-to-me/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [In general, I think every novel is a political novel, in that every novel is an argument about how the world works, who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/in-general-i-think-every-novel-is-a-political-novel-in-that-every/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [I've always been a teaser, even as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-ve-always-been-a-teaser-even-as-a-kid/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [I think someone who writes a ghost story probably needs to believe it in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-think-someone-who-writes-a-ghost-story-probably-needs-to-believe-it/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [Don't you think almost anything can be funny? Almost anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/don-t-you-think-almost-anything-can-be-funny-almost-anything/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [I'm really interested in the United States, what it means to be American - maybe because my father's an immigrant and my grandparents were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-m-really-interested-in-the-united-states-what-it-means-to-be/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [When I was in college, I had a friend who was an artist and her theory was that all the best art in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/when-i-was-in-college-i-had-a-friend-who-was-an-artist-and-her-theory/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [Writers like Twain, Whitman, Dickinson, Melville, Louise Erdrich, Toni Morrison, Russell Banks, Carolyn Chute, Alice Walker, so many others that I read coming up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/writers-like-twain-whitman-dickinson-melville-louise-erdrich-toni/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) [Explore all 21 Micah Perks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) ## More Being a mom quotes > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [In many ways, being pregnant and working were more difficult than motherhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/in-many-ways-being-pregnant-and-working-were-more-difficult-than/) [Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/) > [I do think that despite my best efforts to resist it, I am now a grown-up. It's due to lots of very difficult decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-do-think-that-despite-my-best-efforts-to-resist-it-i-am-now-a-grown/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-favorite-thing-about-being-a-mom-is-just-what-a-better-person-it/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Say what you want about these girls, but it must be rough being a teen mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/say-what-you-want-about-these-girls-but-it-must-be-rough-being-a-teen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My mother tried to kill me when I was a baby. She denied it. She said she thought the plastic bag would keep me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-monkhouse/my-mother-tried-to-kill-me-when-i-was-a-baby-she-denied-it-she-said/) [Bob Monkhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-monkhouse/) > [I’ve come to realize that being a mother makes me a better executive, because motherhood forces prioritization. Being a mom gives you so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-ve-come-to-realize-that-being-a-mother-makes-me-a-better-executive/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [The mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. 'Yes',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finkelstein/the-mother-of-three-notoriously-unruly-youngsters-was-asked-whether/) [David Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finkelstein/) > [If you are a mother then you know the feeling of true love. Once you look into the eyes of your children you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandi-nowak/if-you-are-a-mother-then-you-know-the-feeling-of-true-love-once-you/) [Mandi Nowak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandi-nowak/) > [I think most women these days can understand me juggling a career with being a mom because most of us do. I think I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bello/i-think-most-women-these-days-can-understand-me-juggling-a-career/) [Maria Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bello/) > [Being a mother is the hardest job on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/being-a-mother-is-the-hardest-job-on-earth/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Being a mom myself and it being a huge and important part of who I am, made it easier for me to play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-toussaint/being-a-mom-myself-and-it-being-a-huge-and-important-part-of-who-i-am/) [Lorraine Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-toussaint/) > [Motherhood changes everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/motherhood-changes-everything/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [Being a mom has been my most important job to date, and I take my job very seriously, and I have a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-capshaw/being-a-mom-has-been-my-most-important-job-to-date-and-i-take-my-job/) [Jessica Capshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-capshaw/) > [I love every second of being a mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-aldridge/i-love-every-second-of-being-a-mom/) [Lily Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-aldridge/) [Browse all 266 Being a mom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-mom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the kids were growing up, I think they thought the worst thing about me being a mom is that I would laugh at them. 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