--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All parents damage their children. IT…" description: "\"“All parents damage their children. IT cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others cr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/mitch-albom-187_children_all-parents-damage-their-children-it-can_2225868.png" --- # All parents damage their children. IT cannot be helped… ![“All parents damage their children. IT cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair. The damage done by Eddie's father was, at the beginning, the…” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/mitch-albom-187_children_all-parents-damage-their-children-it-can_2225868.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/mitch-albom-187_children_all-parents-damage-their-children-it-can_2225868.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/mitch-albom-187_children_all-parents-damage-their-children-it-can_2225868.png) > ““All parents damage their children. IT cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair. The damage done by Eddie's father was, at the beginning, the damage of neglect... All parents damage their children. This was their life together. Neglect. Violence. Silence. And now, someplace beoynd death, Eddie slumped against a stainless steel wall and dropped into a snowbank, stung again by the denial of a man whose love, almost inexplicably, he still coveted, a man ignoring him, even in heaven. His father. The damage done. ~pgs 104, 110”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children inevitably bear the imprint of their parents' actions, whether through neglect, abuse, or silence, shaping their emotional wounds that may persist into adulthood. **In simple terms:** Parents leave lasting marks on children, often painful. Key Takeaway Recognize and heal inherited wounds. Themes family trauma inheritance healing relationship Mood sad reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - counseling - parenting workshops - support groups - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology intergenerational trauma attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you see your parents' influence in your life? - What steps can you take to break the cycle? A Different Perspective Healing may be limited without confronting the source of trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Life together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-together/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“All parents damage their children. This was their life together. Neglect. Violence. 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It cannot be helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/all-parents-damage-their-children-it-cannot-be-helped/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“There is one clear urgency in your life that you must never neglect, and that is — you must be yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/there-is-one-clear-urgency-in-your-life-that-you-must-never-neglect/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I am convinced that if we as a society work diligently in every other area of life and neglect the family, it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/i-am-convinced-that-if-we-as-a-society-work-diligently-in-every-other/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Why didn't children ever see that they could damage and harm their parents as much as parents could damage and harm children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-z-hobson/why-didn-t-children-ever-see-that-they-could-damage-and-harm-their/) [Laura Z. 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I love you,and appreciate all you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/i-am-married-to-the-most-dedicated-hard-working-and-loving-best/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“As long as it takes, I will lovingly labor to put together the timeless souvenirs of our life together. I cling to the phot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-k-mccarty/as-long-as-it-takes-i-will-lovingly-labor-to-put-together-the/) [Pam K. McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-k-mccarty/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. 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The damage done by Eddie's father was, at the beginning, the damage of neglect... All parents damage their children. This was their life together. Neglect. Violence. Silence. And now, someplace beoynd death, Eddie slumped against a stainless steel wall and dropped into a snowbank, stung again by the denial of a man whose love, almost inexplicably, he still coveted, a man ignoring him, even in heaven. His father. 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