--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents had three kids right after the…" description: "\"My parents had three kids right after the Second World War, and we were all sort of sickly. Then I had a fourth sibling, with very serious asthma. The ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/patti-smith-394_asthma_my-parents-had-three-kids-right-after-th_3005675.jpg" --- # My parents had three kids right after the Second World… ![“My parents had three kids right after the Second World War, and we were all sort of sickly. Then I had a fourth sibling, with very serious asthma. The medical bills... So my parents always struggled.” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/patti-smith-394_asthma_my-parents-had-three-kids-right-after-th_3005675.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/patti-smith-394_asthma_my-parents-had-three-kids-right-after-th_3005675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/patti-smith-394_asthma_my-parents-had-three-kids-right-after-th_3005675.jpg) > “My parents had three kids right after the Second World War, and we were all sort of sickly. Then I had a fourth sibling, with very serious asthma. The medical bills... So my parents always struggled.” [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Financial strain from medical costs shaped a challenging upbringing. **In simple terms:** Medical bills caused hardship. Key Takeaway Seek support for health-related expenses. Themes hardship family healthcare Mood somber determined Type narrative social commentary When to use this quote - family budgeting - insurance planning - advocacy groups Key Concepts economics social inequality resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can families better manage unexpected health costs? - What policies could reduce such burdens? A Different Perspective Systemic issues may limit individual solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asthma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asthma/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Second world war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-world-war/) [Sibling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sibling/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War of the worlds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-of-the-worlds/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) ## Related quotes > [My parents struggled; we were on welfare. Things changed a lot, so there was always an opportunity for reinvention, to create something new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-russell/my-parents-struggled-we-were-on-welfare-things-changed-a-lot-so-there/) [Taylor Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-russell/) > [Karaoke was my family's happy secret. In those early years in America, like many immigrants, my parents struggled with poverty and loneliness, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/karaoke-was-my-family-s-happy-secret-in-those-early-years-in-america/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [My parents have struggled to bring me up well. I didn't feel like I was living affluently, but my parents deprived me of nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditya-narayan/my-parents-have-struggled-to-bring-me-up-well-i-didn-t-feel-like-i/) [Aditya Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditya-narayan/) > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Anybody who has children and children who are well feels a sense of responsibility towards parents and kids and families that are struggling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/anybody-who-has-children-and-children-who-are-well-feels-a-sense-of/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [“Is it healthy every few weeks or every few months that the addicted parent drop by to visit the kids with no consistency?? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/is-it-healthy-every-few-weeks-or-every-few-months-that-the-addicted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No matter what parents do, kids retain their uniqueness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstie-alley/no-matter-what-parents-do-kids-retain-their-uniqueness/) [Kirstie Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstie-alley/) > [A Lot of Parents will do anything for their Kids... Except let them be themselves...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/a-lot-of-parents-will-do-anything-for-their-kids-except-let-them-be/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [I feel like kids are the perfect psychic investigators of their parents, and kids understand their parents' unconscious better than the parents ever do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-feel-like-kids-are-the-perfect-psychic-investigators-of-their/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [ \[E\]verywhere I'm looking at kids, adults mostly don't seem to like them, not even the parents do. They call the kids gorgeous and so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/e-verywhere-i-m-looking-at-kids-adults-mostly-don-t-seem-to-like-them/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [We're not trying to raise good kids. We're trying to raise kids who become great adults. That's a very different thing. We all know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/we-re-not-trying-to-raise-good-kids-we-re-trying-to-raise-kids-who/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [For years before I became a father, I would try to spend as much time as I could with my friends who were parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/for-years-before-i-became-a-father-i-would-try-to-spend-as-much-time/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [It's up to the parents to watch their kids and make sure their kids aren't doing any crazy drugs. I always blame the parents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juicy-j/it-s-up-to-the-parents-to-watch-their-kids-and-make-sure-their-kids/) [Juicy J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juicy-j/) > [A lot of fairy tales are thinly disguised hostility raps against parents. Kids know that they can't make it on their own, that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/a-lot-of-fairy-tales-are-thinly-disguised-hostility-raps-against/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [We come from fallible parents who were kids once, who decided to have kids and who had to learn how to be parents. Faults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/we-come-from-fallible-parents-who-were-kids-once-who-decided-to-have/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) ## More by Patti Smith > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/inside-it-he-inscribed-a-few-lines-of-poetry-portraying-us-as-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-clawed-through-a-thick-web-of-the-culture-s-consciousness-that-i/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/ultimately-we-are-not-seeking-others-to-bow-to-but-to-reinforce-our/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm certain, as we filled down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve years-old, all arms and legs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-certain-as-we-filled-down-the-great-staircase-that-i-appeared-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/in-art-and-dream-may-you-proceed-with-abandon-in-life-may-you-proceed/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/new-york-is-the-thing-that-seduced-me-new-york-is-the-thing-that/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I don't wanna be equal with anybody. I wanna be above equal. I don't think most people are equal to me. I'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-wanna-be-equal-with-anybody-i-wanna-be-above-equal-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/somehow-i-started-introducing-writing-into-my-drawings-and-after-a/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## More Asthma quotes > [I have no sex appeal, which kills me. The only way I can ever hear heavy breathing from my husband's side of the bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-have-no-sex-appeal-which-kills-me-the-only-way-i-can-ever-hear/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [As a child I had terrible asthma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/as-a-child-i-had-terrible-asthma/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [I've always had bronchitis. I've been administered the Sacrament of Death three times for it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-mccambridge/i-ve-always-had-bronchitis-i-ve-been-administered-the-sacrament-of/) [Mercedes McCambridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-mccambridge/) > [Ever since I was little, I've had an issue with breathing and my stamina, especially growing up as a dancer. It was thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-michelle/ever-since-i-was-little-i-ve-had-an-issue-with-breathing-and-my/) [Ava Michelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-michelle/) > [I had terrible ear problems and asthma and allergies. I spent quite a bit of time in hospital up to the age of eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-had-terrible-ear-problems-and-asthma-and-allergies-i-spent-quite-a/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [It's just so bizarre how in this world if you have asthma, you take asthma medication. 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That was a one-night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-had-my-appendix-out-when-i-was-11-and-that-was-the-last-time-i-was/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 163 Asthma quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asthma/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My parents had three kids right after the Second World War, and we were all sort of sickly. Then I had a fourth sibling, with very serious asthma. The medical bills... 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