---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up looking at my parents as equals."
description: "\"I grew up looking at my parents as equals.\" — Mona Eltahawy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mona-eltahawy-4721_equals_i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equal_3228257.jpg"
---

#  I grew up looking at my parents as equals.

![“I grew up looking at my parents as equals.” quote by Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mona-eltahawy-4721_equals_i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equal_3228257.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mona-eltahawy-4721_equals_i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equal_3228257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mona-eltahawy-4721_equals_i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equal_3228257.jpg)

> “I grew up looking at my parents as equals.”

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker recalls viewing parents as equals, implying respect and shared agency in upbringing.

**In simple terms:** Saw parents as equals, not authority figures.

Key Takeaway

Foster mutual respect in family dynamics.

Themes

family equality upbringing

Mood

reflective balanced

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- parental guidance
- family counseling
- team projects

Key Concepts

parent‑child relationship socialization

Questions to Reflect On

- How does seeing parents as equals affect your adult relationships?
- What boundaries support respectful family ties?

A Different Perspective

Equality may be challenged by cultural expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Equals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equals/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-looking-881704/) [Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking/) [Looking Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-parents-680454/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents Equals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-equals-6096423/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/)

## Related quotes

> [“The stars here and the ones there are each special for their own reason. You grew up looking at these, while I looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyrae-dawn/the-stars-here-and-the-ones-there-are-each-special-for-their-own/)

[Nyrae Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyrae-dawn/)

> [My dad's a businessman, and I grew up looking up to him, how he dressed to go to work and, whenever I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-dad-s-a-businessman-and-i-grew-up-looking-up-to-him-how-he-dressed/)

[Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/)

> [We are all somebody's children, and when we're in pain, we regress, instinctively looking to our parents to make everything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/we-are-all-somebody-s-children-and-when-we-re-in-pain-we-regress/)

[Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/)

> [My biggest concern for the country is that many kids are now just looking at their parents who've lived on benefit and think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-pulis/my-biggest-concern-for-the-country-is-that-many-kids-are-now-just/)

[Tony Pulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-pulis/)

> [Spider-Man is a school boy that's looking for his parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/spider-man-is-a-school-boy-that-s-looking-for-his-parents/)

[Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/)

> [ Sometimes just looking at \[my parents\] I wanted to bash their heads with a tire iron. Not to kill them, just to wake them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/sometimes-just-looking-at-my-parents-i-wanted-to-bash-their-heads/)

[Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/)

> [Growing up I had lots of role models. Looking back, my parents were my first role models.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-sangakkara/growing-up-i-had-lots-of-role-models-looking-back-my-parents-were-my/)

[Kumar Sangakkara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-sangakkara/)

> [How can such scary looking parents create something so cute?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/how-can-such-scary-looking-parents-create-something-so-cute/)

[Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/)

> [I get so annoyed at people not looking after their parents. The deal is when we are growing up they look after us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-goodman/i-get-so-annoyed-at-people-not-looking-after-their-parents-the-deal/)

[Len Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-goodman/)

> [“Life = Risk. If you haven't failed, you have lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peiri-ann/life-risk-if-you-haven-t-failed-you-have-lived/)

[Peiri Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peiri-ann/)

> [Each Day I Meet Someone New, But Never Find Another YOU, The World Is Full Of People Its True, Yet No one Ever Equals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-bassam/each-day-i-meet-someone-new-but-never-find-another-you-the-world-is/)

[Ali Bassam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-bassam/)

> [One plus one equals both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/one-plus-one-equals-both/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [You must talk to us as equals, or not talk to us at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/you-must-talk-to-us-as-equals-or-not-talk-to-us-at-all/)

[David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/)

> [Equals make the best friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/equals-make-the-best-friends/)

[Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/)

> [I have a treasure trove of Baker memories, all of which reinforce my sense of Howard Baker as one of the most decent people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yarmuth/i-have-a-treasure-trove-of-baker-memories-all-of-which-reinforce-my/)

[John Yarmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yarmuth/)

## More by Mona Eltahawy

> [I defend a woman's right to cover her hair if she chooses, but the face is central to human interaction, and so the ideologues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-defend-a-woman-s-right-to-cover-her-hair-if-she-chooses-but-the/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [My birth at the end of July 1967 makes me a child of the naksa, or setback, as the Arab defeat during the June…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/my-birth-at-the-end-of-july-1967-makes-me-a-child-of-the-naksa-or/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [Saudi Arabia isn't just a conservative country with different values we shouldn't judge. It is a modern Gilead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/saudi-arabia-isn-t-just-a-conservative-country-with-different-values/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [I can write about my culture and religion because I am a product of both. Even when I'm accused of giving ammunition to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-can-write-about-my-culture-and-religion-because-i-am-a-product-of/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [“Why were women alone responsible for sheltering men from the sexual desires women supposedly elicited in men? Why could men not control themselves? Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/why-were-women-alone-responsible-for-sheltering-men-from-the-sexual/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [Saudi authorities must launch a campaign about the safety of female pilgrims and the determination of the authorities to ensure every woman's safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/saudi-authorities-must-launch-a-campaign-about-the-safety-of-female/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [For years I looked at the Iranians with envy - not at the outcome of their 1979 revolution, but because it was a popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/for-years-i-looked-at-the-iranians-with-envy-not-at-the-outcome-of/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [Bashar al-Assad's henchmen stomped on the hands of famed Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat. Our dictators tailor wounds to suit their victims' occupations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/bashar-al-assad-s-henchmen-stomped-on-the-hands-of-famed-syrian/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [When Mubarak does die, he will be remembered as the most bland of those military men turned dictators: compare him with Gamal Abdel-Nasser and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/when-mubarak-does-die-he-will-be-remembered-as-the-most-bland-of/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [As a Muslim woman, I'm all too familiar with the media shorthand for 'Muslim' and 'woman' equaling Covered in Black Muslim Woman. She's seen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/as-a-muslim-woman-i-m-all-too-familiar-with-the-media-shorthand-for/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [I am horrified by the moral amnesia that develops when a dictator dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-am-horrified-by-the-moral-amnesia-that-develops-when-a-dictator-dies/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [I left my husband a year after 9/11. Not because he was an American and I an Egyptian, nothing to do with culture or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-left-my-husband-a-year-after-9-11-not-because-he-was-an-american/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [I joke that one of the rare times Egyptians identify as African is when the national soccer squad is playing in the African Cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-joke-that-one-of-the-rare-times-egyptians-identify-as-african-is/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [I grew up in the U.K., and my parents are both doctors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-grew-up-in-the-u-k-and-my-parents-are-both-doctors/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [My own feminist revolution evolved slowly, and traveled the world with me. To this day I have no idea what dissident professor or librarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/my-own-feminist-revolution-evolved-slowly-and-traveled-the-world-with/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

[Explore all 107 Mona Eltahawy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

## More Equals quotes

> [I have a treasure trove of Baker memories, all of which reinforce my sense of Howard Baker as one of the most decent people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yarmuth/i-have-a-treasure-trove-of-baker-memories-all-of-which-reinforce-my/)

[John Yarmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yarmuth/)

> [Equals make the best friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/equals-make-the-best-friends/)

[Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/)

> [You must talk to us as equals, or not talk to us at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/you-must-talk-to-us-as-equals-or-not-talk-to-us-at-all/)

[David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/)

> [One plus one equals both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/one-plus-one-equals-both/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [Each Day I Meet Someone New, But Never Find Another YOU, The World Is Full Of People Its True, Yet No one Ever Equals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-bassam/each-day-i-meet-someone-new-but-never-find-another-you-the-world-is/)

[Ali Bassam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-bassam/)

> [“Life = Risk. If you haven't failed, you have lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peiri-ann/life-risk-if-you-haven-t-failed-you-have-lived/)

[Peiri Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peiri-ann/)

> [“It is more desirable for Entities to have equals() and hashCode() methods that are based on the object’s unique identity rather than other attributes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaughn-vernon/it-is-more-desirable-for-entities-to-have-equals-and-hashcode-methods/)

[Vaughn Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaughn-vernon/)

> [I treat everyone as equals. I can't work if I'm not having fun, and I can't have fun if not everyone is happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/i-treat-everyone-as-equals-i-can-t-work-if-i-m-not-having-fun-and-i/)

[Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/)

> [I rise in support of a Canada in which liberties are safeguarded, rights are protected and the people of this land are treated as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-martin/i-rise-in-support-of-a-canada-in-which-liberties-are-safeguarded/)

[Paul Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-martin/)

> [With Kindness 1+1 always equals more than 2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-williams/with-kindness-1-1-always-equals-more-than-2/)

[Brian Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-williams/)

> [Loads of computer graphics equals a terrible video in my book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hawkins/loads-of-computer-graphics-equals-a-terrible-video-in-my-book/)

[Dan Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hawkins/)

> [Everything about the Olympics was first class, and women were treated as athletes and equals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-robinson-schwartz/everything-about-the-olympics-was-first-class-and-women-were-treated/)

[Elizabeth Robinson Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-robinson-schwartz/)

> [There is no peace among equals because equality doesn't exist in this universe. Either one prevails and the other follows, or both negotiate their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-j-duarte-bernhardt/there-is-no-peace-among-equals-because-equality-doesn-t-exist-in-this/)

[Harold J Duarte-Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-j-duarte-bernhardt/)

> [One mysterious person looking at another mysterious person equals what? Another mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/one-mysterious-person-looking-at-another-mysterious-person-equals/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

> [I am not married yet, but I think ultimately in a good marriage it is the relationship which is the most important thing. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/i-am-not-married-yet-but-i-think-ultimately-in-a-good-marriage-it-is/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

[Browse all 138 Equals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equals/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I grew up looking at my parents as equals.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mona Eltahawy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equals/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Equals"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equals/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mona-eltahawy-4721_equals_i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equal_3228257.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mona-eltahawy-4721_equals_i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equal_3228257.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mona-eltahawy-4721_equals_i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equal_3228257.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I grew up looking at my parents as equals.” — Mona Eltahawy",
                "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": "Mona Eltahawy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I grew up looking at my...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equals/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-grew-up-looking-at-my-parents-as-equals/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
