--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was approaching adolescence. For some…" description: "\"I was approaching adolescence. For some reason, I guess my mother thought it would be less crazy out in the suburbs, which it wasn't. I just think adol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/nellie-mckay-11745_adolescence_i-was-approaching-adolescence-for-some-r_1897559.png" --- # I was approaching adolescence. For some reason, I guess my… ![“I was approaching adolescence. For some reason, I guess my mother thought it would be less crazy out in the suburbs, which it wasn't. I just think adolescence is hard for anyone.” quote by Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/nellie-mckay-11745_adolescence_i-was-approaching-adolescence-for-some-r_1897559.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/nellie-mckay-11745_adolescence_i-was-approaching-adolescence-for-some-r_1897559.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/nellie-mckay-11745_adolescence_i-was-approaching-adolescence-for-some-r_1897559.png) > “I was approaching adolescence. For some reason, I guess my mother thought it would be less crazy out in the suburbs, which it wasn't. I just think adolescence is hard for anyone.” [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adolescence is universally challenging, regardless of setting. **In simple terms:** Teen years are hard everywhere. Key Takeaway Offer empathy to teens. Themes adolescence family dynamics urban vs suburban Mood empathetic supportive Type psychological sociological When to use this quote - parenting - school counseling - mental health services - community programs Key Concepts Identity formation social pressure Questions to Reflect On - What supports help teens thrive? - How does environment influence teenage stress? A Different Perspective Socio‑economic factors also shape teen experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [“If by adolescence limbic, autonomic, and endocrine systems are going full blast while the frontal cortex is still working out the assembly instructions, we’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/if-by-adolescence-limbic-autonomic-and-endocrine-systems-are-going/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [I think so much of adolescence is about finding your tribe, and what kids today have that we did not have is access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-paige/i-think-so-much-of-adolescence-is-about-finding-your-tribe-and-what/) [Peter Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-paige/) > [I was raised in the suburbs. I wasn't on a plantation or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-ervin-beam/i-was-raised-in-the-suburbs-i-wasn-t-on-a-plantation-or-anything/) [Samuel Ervin Beam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-ervin-beam/) > [ I remember realizing, when I did Little Women \[1994\], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-remember-realizing-when-i-did-little-women-1994-that-that-was-the/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Most adults would not dream of belittling, humiliating, or bullying (verbally or physically) another adult. But many of the same adults think nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/most-adults-would-not-dream-of-belittling-humiliating-or-bullying/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [Adolescence is when the very worst and best impulses in the human soul struggle against each other for possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/adolescence-is-when-the-very-worst-and-best-impulses-in-the-human/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [The donning of the ear buds marks the beginning of teen life, when children set off on their own for the passage through adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/the-donning-of-the-ear-buds-marks-the-beginning-of-teen-life-when/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [The idols of one's adolescence tend to endure - you never forget how you worshipped them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-idols-of-one-s-adolescence-tend-to-endure-you-never-forget-how/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Having children truly ends adolescence. We are all either parents or children: responsibility-takers or those who demand from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/having-children-truly-ends-adolescence-we-are-all-either-parents-or/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/) [Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/) ## More by Nellie McKay > [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [I think people at most record labels really like music, but it's hard because everything is so subjective, and everyone's so creative in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-think-people-at-most-record-labels-really-like-music-but-it-s-hard/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [If we went back to the basics of vegetables, legumes, grains - the things closer to the Earth - it's a lot better for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/if-we-went-back-to-the-basics-of-vegetables-legumes-grains-the-things/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [The civilised cultures are the most cruel. It's the same with education - often it breeds sadistic forms of cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/the-civilised-cultures-are-the-most-cruel-it-s-the-same-with/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [Toronto's a delightful city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/toronto-s-a-delightful-city/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [I was in school for jazz voice, which is the dumbest way to spend $35,000 a year. I just felt like a rip-off of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-was-in-school-for-jazz-voice-which-is-the-dumbest-way-to-spend-35/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [If you're dissatisfied anywhere, New York is the place to be. If you're unhappy at college in Topeka, I don't know what there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/if-you-re-dissatisfied-anywhere-new-york-is-the-place-to-be-if-you-re/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [In the hierarchy of instruments, if you're a harpist, you're considered someone with a brain much more than if you're a singer. Even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/in-the-hierarchy-of-instruments-if-you-re-a-harpist-you-re-considered/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [What people generally tell you is, "We'll all agree," and then once you sign, they expect to get their own way. I think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/what-people-generally-tell-you-is-we-ll-all-agree-and-then-once-you/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [I feel like you should always be questioning the genre you're doing. If you're doing something that sounds like a lullaby, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-feel-like-you-should-always-be-questioning-the-genre-you-re-doing/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [If you look through the century, certain things have gotten better and certain things have gotten worse. I wouldn't say overall that things have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/if-you-look-through-the-century-certain-things-have-gotten-better-and/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [While a lot of my day, like most people's, is spent thinking about me, I can see how it's a universal thing: the competition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/while-a-lot-of-my-day-like-most-people-s-is-spent-thinking-about-me-i/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [I don't listen to much rap, really. I can rarely listen to a whole record of it, because musically, it's very formulaic, and oftentimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-don-t-listen-to-much-rap-really-i-can-rarely-listen-to-a-whole/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [I used to play in the subway. If everyone tossed in a quarter, at the end of the day it would add up. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-used-to-play-in-the-subway-if-everyone-tossed-in-a-quarter-at-the/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [You know, if I can survive marching band, I can survive anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/you-know-if-i-can-survive-marching-band-i-can-survive-anything/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) [Explore all 58 Nellie McKay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) ## More Adolescence quotes > [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/) [Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/) > [Having children truly ends adolescence. We are all either parents or children: responsibility-takers or those who demand from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/having-children-truly-ends-adolescence-we-are-all-either-parents-or/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [The idols of one's adolescence tend to endure - you never forget how you worshipped them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-idols-of-one-s-adolescence-tend-to-endure-you-never-forget-how/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [The donning of the ear buds marks the beginning of teen life, when children set off on their own for the passage through adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/the-donning-of-the-ear-buds-marks-the-beginning-of-teen-life-when/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [Adolescence is when the very worst and best impulses in the human soul struggle against each other for possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/adolescence-is-when-the-very-worst-and-best-impulses-in-the-human/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [Most adults would not dream of belittling, humiliating, or bullying (verbally or physically) another adult. But many of the same adults think nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/most-adults-would-not-dream-of-belittling-humiliating-or-bullying/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [ I remember realizing, when I did Little Women \[1994\], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-remember-realizing-when-i-did-little-women-1994-that-that-was-the/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Content without style is propaganda or adolescence. Style without content is decadence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/content-without-style-is-propaganda-or-adolescence-style-without/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [Adolescence is interesting. I mean, all of life is interesting and all of life is transitionary. But I think there is an exponential growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/adolescence-is-interesting-i-mean-all-of-life-is-interesting-and-all/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) [Browse all 787 Adolescence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was approaching adolescence. For some reason, I guess my mother thought it would be less crazy out in the suburbs, which it wasn't. 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