--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had one young man tell me he wished I…" description: "\"I had one young man tell me he wished I was his mom. Another young woman told me that every time she watched 'The Office,' I reminded her of her mother..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/phyllis-smith-11568_man_i-had-one-young-man-tell-me-he-wished-i_2674294.png" --- # I had one young man tell me he wished I was his mom… ![“I had one young man tell me he wished I was his mom. Another young woman told me that every time she watched 'The Office,' I reminded her of her mother, who had just passed away a year ago, and that every time she saw me she felt as if she had a piece of her mom still with her.” quote by Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/phyllis-smith-11568_man_i-had-one-young-man-tell-me-he-wished-i_2674294.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/phyllis-smith-11568_man_i-had-one-young-man-tell-me-he-wished-i_2674294.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/phyllis-smith-11568_man_i-had-one-young-man-tell-me-he-wished-i_2674294.png) > “I had one young man tell me he wished I was his mom. Another young woman told me that every time she watched 'The Office,' I reminded her of her mother, who had just passed away a year ago, and that every time she saw me she felt as if she had a piece of her mom still with her.” [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People sometimes see you as a parental figure, offering comfort and connection after loss. **In simple terms:** You can be a comforting, parental presence. Key Takeaway Offer empathy and support. Themes family grief comfort Mood compassionate reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - counseling - friendship - support groups - media influence Key Concepts psychology empathy Questions to Reflect On - How do you manage being a surrogate parent? - What limits should you set? A Different Perspective Not everyone can fulfill such roles; boundaries matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) [Young woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-woman/) ## Related quotes > [“She was reminded of her mother's prophecy one day before her wedding that - he will go completely mad one day. But he seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-joseph/she-was-reminded-of-her-mother-s-prophecy-one-day-before-her-wedding/) [Manu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-joseph/) > [“Alyssa tried to lift her chin. She was going to do the one thing she loved again- something that reminded her of her mother;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-castro/alyssa-tried-to-lift-her-chin-she-was-going-to-do-the-one-thing-she/) [Nicole Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-castro/) > [“Her last call, at midnight, had been the worst. "I'll pull your cock out of your asshole," she'd said, and for some reason her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bentley-little/her-last-call-at-midnight-had-been-the-worst-i-ll-pull-your-cock-out/) [Bentley Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bentley-little/) > [“Everything about her shredded my heart because she reminded me too much of my mother, and she reminded me too much of my mother's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-park/everything-about-her-shredded-my-heart-because-she-reminded-me-too/) [Jessica Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-park/) > [I'm an old mom of a young baby, and every moment matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-salie/i-m-an-old-mom-of-a-young-baby-and-every-moment-matters/) [Faith Salie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-salie/) > [When you have lost people like I lost my birth mom at a young age and you remember the whole process of losing her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-hoffa/when-you-have-lost-people-like-i-lost-my-birth-mom-at-a-young-age-and/) [Reese Hoffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-hoffa/) > [Losing my mom at such a young age had a profound effect on my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-shannon/losing-my-mom-at-such-a-young-age-had-a-profound-effect-on-my-life/) [Molly Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-shannon/) > [I wasn't a teen mom, but still a young mom, who is struggling with many issues even now. You don't go see me dumping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wasn-t-a-teen-mom-but-still-a-young-mom-who-is-struggling-with-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I did say that I wanted to be a young mom, just because my mom was a young mom. It is better because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-lohan/i-did-say-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-young-mom-just-because-my-mom-was-a/) [Lindsay Lohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-lohan/) > [My mom, she was, at a young age, caught up in the worldly ways. At that time, it was very intriguing to be out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amar-e-stoudemire/my-mom-she-was-at-a-young-age-caught-up-in-the-worldly-ways-at-that/) [Amar'e Stoudemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amar-e-stoudemire/) > [I lost my mom when I was young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-rock/i-lost-my-mom-when-i-was-young/) [Ad-Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-rock/) > [If she doesn't know about STACYS MOM ..she's too young for you bro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-she-doesn-t-know-about-stacys-mom-she-s-too-young-for-you-bro/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A young man held a young woman in his arms, her head leaned to one side, her eyes empty and still. He was shadowed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-coulson/a-young-man-held-a-young-woman-in-his-arms-her-head-leaned-to-one/) Stella Coulson > [“Honorable, happy, and successful marriage is surely the principal goal of every normal person. Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/honorable-happy-and-successful-marriage-is-surely-the-principal-goal/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [To be in love is merely to be in a perpetual state of anesthesia - to mistake an ordinary young man for a Greek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/to-be-in-love-is-merely-to-be-in-a-perpetual-state-of-anesthesia-to/) [Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/) ## More by Phyllis Smith > [I'm generally pretty happy about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-m-generally-pretty-happy-about-life/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I don't really think about being pigeonholed so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-don-t-really-think-about-being-pigeonholed-so-much/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [Everybody involved in Pixar, I've not met one person who's not incredibly creative and nice and lovely and know what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/everybody-involved-in-pixar-i-ve-not-met-one-person-who-s-not/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [It was only after I'd had some injuries that I basically retired from the performing side of show business and then began working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/it-was-only-after-i-d-had-some-injuries-that-i-basically-retired-from/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [IMDB's not the most accurate. Even my birth place and my age are wrong there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/imdb-s-not-the-most-accurate-even-my-birth-place-and-my-age-are-wrong/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [Just go for it. Don't be afraid of trying new things. You have absolutely no idea what's going to present itself to you. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/just-go-for-it-don-t-be-afraid-of-trying-new-things-you-have/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I once prayed when struggling financially and worried how I was going to be able to assist my parents in their latter years living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-once-prayed-when-struggling-financially-and-worried-how-i-was-going/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I didn't want Sadness to be just one note.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-didn-t-want-sadness-to-be-just-one-note/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I know how difficult it is to get one job, much less an entirely new career. I'm very blessed and grateful. It's like I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-know-how-difficult-it-is-to-get-one-job-much-less-an-entirely-new/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I just wanted Sadness to be true, to come from a real place. I tried to work from the inside out, going from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-just-wanted-sadness-to-be-true-to-come-from-a-real-place-i-tried-to/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [To be in a Pixar movie is just great to begin with, and it has afforded me the opportunity to do a different medium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/to-be-in-a-pixar-movie-is-just-great-to-begin-with-and-it-has/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I'm just a normal person, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-m-just-a-normal-person-believe-me/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [Even before 'The OA,' I was a very spiritual person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/even-before-the-oa-i-was-a-very-spiritual-person/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [I feel like I'm an ordinary person, but I've had extraordinary opportunities in my later life, and I never saw any of it coming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/i-feel-like-i-m-an-ordinary-person-but-i-ve-had-extraordinary/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) > [When I hurt my knee, I knew it was time to retire from dancing, and I needed a job just to pay the bills,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-smith/when-i-hurt-my-knee-i-knew-it-was-time-to-retire-from-dancing-and-i/) [Phyllis Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) [Explore all 59 Phyllis Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-smith/) ## More Man quotes > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [If you're in a meeting and a man talks loudly over you, rather than copying that behaviour and normalising it, what you could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/if-you-re-in-a-meeting-and-a-man-talks-loudly-over-you-rather-than/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Man United has always had a unique aura about it, and when you watch them play everyone knows it's something special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-glazer/man-united-has-always-had-a-unique-aura-about-it-and-when-you-watch/) [Joel Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-glazer/) > [I came to Hollywood to be a movie song-and-dance man just at the time those films were going out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-berry/i-came-to-hollywood-to-be-a-movie-song-and-dance-man-just-at-the-time/) [Ken Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-berry/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [“Well, God be with you,’ she said as she finally left him. ’I’m sure He is,’ he replied. 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