--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had been a real problem child, but once…" description: "\"I had been a real problem child, but once I got into acting, my parents never had any more trouble with me because all of that energy was directed in a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/patricia-richardson-21395_acting_i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once_1689323.jpg" --- # I had been a real problem child, but once I got into… ![“I had been a real problem child, but once I got into acting, my parents never had any more trouble with me because all of that energy was directed in a positive way.” quote by Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/patricia-richardson-21395_acting_i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once_1689323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/patricia-richardson-21395_acting_i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once_1689323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/patricia-richardson-21395_acting_i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once_1689323.jpg) > “I had been a real problem child, but once I got into acting, my parents never had any more trouble with me because all of that energy was directed in a positive way.” [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Channeling youthful energy into acting transformed personal challenges into constructive expression. **In simple terms:** Acting redirected problematic energy positively. Key Takeaway Use creative outlets for energy. Themes personal growth creativity family acting Mood inspirational hopeful Type self‑help motivational When to use this quote - school - career change - family life Key Concepts psychology performance art Questions to Reflect On - What creative activity could channel your energy? - How can families support artistic pursuits? A Different Perspective Not all individuals have access to such outlets. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Positive way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-way/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-child/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not the 'chosen one.' I'm just one of many who have been given gifts. I can write. I can bloviate on TV. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/i-m-not-the-chosen-one-i-m-just-one-of-many-who-have-been-given-gifts/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [After high school, I was going to move out to L.A. and try to pursue my dreams of acting. My parents said, "Thats fine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/after-high-school-i-was-going-to-move-out-to-l-a-and-try-to-pursue-my/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [I attended theater camps and classes growing up, but there was never any talk of me making a life out of acting. My parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-earhardt/i-attended-theater-camps-and-classes-growing-up-but-there-was-never/) [Ainsley Earhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-earhardt/) > [When I was little, I didn't know you got paid for acting. My parents put the money in the bank for me, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelan-simmons/when-i-was-little-i-didn-t-know-you-got-paid-for-acting-my-parents/) [Chelan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelan-simmons/) > [When I started acting, my parents gave me three rules: I had to stay good in school, stay the kid they always knew I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shailene-woodley/when-i-started-acting-my-parents-gave-me-three-rules-i-had-to-stay/) [Shailene Woodley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shailene-woodley/) > [I never thought I had it in me to be an actor. There is so much more to the job than acting. But my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalyani-priyadarshan/i-never-thought-i-had-it-in-me-to-be-an-actor-there-is-so-much-more/) [Kalyani Priyadarshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalyani-priyadarshan/) > [When I finally decided to leave school and pursue acting, my parents didn't take it very lightly. My friends thought that it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/when-i-finally-decided-to-leave-school-and-pursue-acting-my-parents/) [Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/) > [I started acting in my parents living room when I was five years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-gallagher/i-started-acting-in-my-parents-living-room-when-i-was-five-years-old/) [Megan Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-gallagher/) > [I find the idea that some kids go into acting because of their parents butt-clenchingly embarrassing. I've gone out of my way to prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-find-the-idea-that-some-kids-go-into-acting-because-of-their/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [I always wanted to be acting but...my parents (who are Cambodian) wanted me to be something else with more stability, like a doctor or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-wong/i-always-wanted-to-be-acting-but-my-parents-who-are-cambodian-wanted/) [Ellen Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-wong/) > [My family are very supportive and always have been. They weren't the kind of parents that pushed me into it. I know a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/my-family-are-very-supportive-and-always-have-been-they-weren-t-the/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [Acting with my parents was nerve-wracking. If they watch me act on the sets I feel nervous and blocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghana-raj/acting-with-my-parents-was-nerve-wracking-if-they-watch-me-act-on-the/) [Meghana Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghana-raj/) > [I had a head start in acting. Because of my parents, I had a SAG card, an agent and a recognizable name. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-crosby/i-had-a-head-start-in-acting-because-of-my-parents-i-had-a-sag-card/) [Mary Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-crosby/) > [I knew I wanted to get into acting and my parents were fine with that. My brother, thankfully, became a barrister so I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-havers/i-knew-i-wanted-to-get-into-acting-and-my-parents-were-fine-with-that/) [Nigel Havers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-havers/) > [I know a lot of parents of kid actors I've worked with have pressured them into acting, but my parents are different. I'm really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/i-know-a-lot-of-parents-of-kid-actors-i-ve-worked-with-have-pressured/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) ## More by Patricia Richardson > [Instead of yelling and spanking, which dont work anyway, I believe in finding creative ways to keep their attention - turning things into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/instead-of-yelling-and-spanking-which-dont-work-anyway-i-believe-in/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [I don't understand that, because I think that what people like most about the show is that they recognize themselves in the characters and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-don-t-understand-that-because-i-think-that-what-people-like-most/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [Tim on the show does a lot of that posturing, of course, and feels sort of threatened by women. But even at that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/tim-on-the-show-does-a-lot-of-that-posturing-of-course-and-feels-sort/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [You are the strongest argument, yet, against cloning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/you-are-the-strongest-argument-yet-against-cloning/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [I live in such a sweet world in the world of 'Home Improvement' that I tend to be drawn to stuff that's really on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-live-in-such-a-sweet-world-in-the-world-of-home-improvement-that-i/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [I know it's a lot harder for women who don't have enough help, but the truth is, no matter how much money you have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-know-it-s-a-lot-harder-for-women-who-don-t-have-enough-help-but-the/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [People who meet me think of Jill and transfer her strong qualities to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/people-who-meet-me-think-of-jill-and-transfer-her-strong-qualities-to/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [You have to be the parent; you can't be their friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/you-have-to-be-the-parent-you-can-t-be-their-friend/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [They see me as being this Super Mom on TV who also can more than handle a difficult husband, and they assume I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/they-see-me-as-being-this-super-mom-on-tv-who-also-can-more-than/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [I curse too much. I really do. I have a horrible cursing mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-curse-too-much-i-really-do-i-have-a-horrible-cursing-mouth/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [Television is a real woman's medium... but what's disturbing is, still even in television, women have so little to do with what's going on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/television-is-a-real-woman-s-medium-but-what-s-disturbing-is-still/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [I really was about to pass out during my entire wedding. I just didn't know if I could marry anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-really-was-about-to-pass-out-during-my-entire-wedding-i-just-didn-t/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [The truth is, I've been going pretty much nuts all year. I constantly have to fight being scattered. I feel like I'm on automatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/the-truth-is-i-ve-been-going-pretty-much-nuts-all-year-i-constantly/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [I have born-again Christians in my family, and they are completely against abortion... Everybody's got to stop being afraid of it real soon. Who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-have-born-again-christians-in-my-family-and-they-are-completely/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) > [But then my mother, who's a very selfless, stoic person from a family of Marines, would tell us that what was good for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/but-then-my-mother-who-s-a-very-selfless-stoic-person-from-a-family/) [Patricia Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) [Explore all 29 Patricia Richardson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had been a real problem child, but once I got into acting, my parents never had any more trouble with me because all of that energy was directed in a positive way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patricia Richardson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once-i-got-into-acting-my-parents/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once-i-got-into-acting-my-parents/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/patricia-richardson-21395_acting_i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once_1689323.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/patricia-richardson-21395_acting_i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once_1689323.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/patricia-richardson-21395_acting_i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once_1689323.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had been a real problem child, but once I got into acting, my parents never had any more trouble with me…” — Patricia Richardson", "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": "Patricia Richardson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-richardson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had been a real problem...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once-i-got-into-acting-my-parents/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-richardson/i-had-been-a-real-problem-child-but-once-i-got-into-acting-my-parents/#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 } } ] } ```