--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was little and something awful was…" description: "\"When I was little and something awful was happening my Mama would tell me to close my eyes.She was tryin' to keep me from seeing her do drugs or other ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/michael-oher-17972_awful_when-i-was-little-and-something-awful-wa_1319391.jpg" --- # When I was little and something awful was happening my… ![“When I was little and something awful was happening my Mama would tell me to close my eyes.She was tryin' to keep me from seeing her do drugs or other bad things. And then when she was finished or the bad things were over she'd say, “now when I count to three, you open your eyes and the past is…” quote by Michael Oher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/michael-oher-17972_awful_when-i-was-little-and-something-awful-wa_1319391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/michael-oher-17972_awful_when-i-was-little-and-something-awful-wa_1319391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/michael-oher-17972_awful_when-i-was-little-and-something-awful-wa_1319391.jpg) > “When I was little and something awful was happening my Mama would tell me to close my eyes.She was tryin' to keep me from seeing her do drugs or other bad things. And then when she was finished or the bad things were over she'd say, “now when I count to three, you open your eyes and the past is gone, the world is a good place,and it's all gonna be okay.” [Michael Oher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-oher/) ## 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 used a simple ritual to shield a child from trauma, offering a hopeful reset through counting and imagination. **In simple terms:** Counting three helped reset a child's emotional state. Key Takeaway Use simple, grounding rituals to cope with distress. Themes parenting trauma coping imagination reset hope Mood protective empathetic resilient Type therapeutic educational emotional When to use this quote - family counseling - school support - mindfulness exercises - therapeutic play Key Concepts psychological safety ritualistic coping protective storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What simple practices help you regain calm? - How can we support children facing trauma? A Different Perspective Rituals may not address underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Blind side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-side/) [Close Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-eyes/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eyes Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-past-1542274/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Good place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-place/) [Happenings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happenings/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Mama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mama/) [Mama Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mama-tell-4377405/) [Okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/okay/) [Open eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-eyes/) [Open your eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-your-eyes/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“... 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