--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My list of things I never pictured myself…" description: "\"My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.\" — Polly Berrien Berends" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/polly-berrien-berends-22615_parent_my-list-of-things-i-never-pictured-mysel_989825.jpg" --- # My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I… ![“My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.” quote by Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/polly-berrien-berends-22615_parent_my-list-of-things-i-never-pictured-mysel_989825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/polly-berrien-berends-22615_parent_my-list-of-things-i-never-pictured-mysel_989825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55b/polly-berrien-berends-22615_parent_my-list-of-things-i-never-pictured-mysel_989825.jpg) > “My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.” [Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parenthood reveals unexpected thoughts and feelings that evolve over time, challenging prior self‑image. **In simple terms:** Being a parent changes what you think you’d say. Key Takeaway Embrace evolving self‑perception. Themes parenthood self‑discovery growth Mood introspective thoughtful Type personal reflective When to use this quote - family gatherings - parent‑child conversations - life milestones - self‑reflection - journaling Key Concepts identity shift unexpected reflections Questions to Reflect On - How have your expectations of yourself shifted? - What surprises have parenting revealed? A Different Perspective Some may resist acknowledging change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“Joe had long resented how American culture had taught him to want. 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I've become a woman here, I've become an actress here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-rohm/i-ve-grown-up-so-much-here-it-s-been-two-years-i-ve-become-a-woman/) [Elisabeth Rohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-rohm/) > [I, on the other hand, still might not be considered a proper adult. I had been very grown-up in primary school. But as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-on-the-other-hand-still-might-not-be-considered-a-proper-adult-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think people know that every time I go out there, I leave it all in the ring, regardless. So I think there's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cage/i-think-people-know-that-every-time-i-go-out-there-i-leave-it-all-in/) [Christian Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cage/) > [“I had been very grown-up when I was in primary school. But as I continued through secondary-school, I in fact became less grown-up. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroki-kawakami/i-had-been-very-grown-up-when-i-was-in-primary-school-but-as-i/) Hiroki Kawakami > [“He was sad because he had grown up, and because the years passed like a river that no man could stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-farrell/he-was-sad-because-he-had-grown-up-and-because-the-years-passed-like/) [James T. Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-farrell/) > [Our pride has grown in the last twenty-five years, though others don't understand it and underestimate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/our-pride-has-grown-in-the-last-twenty-five-years-though-others-don-t/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I have a long list of things that make me mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-have-a-long-list-of-things-that-make-me-mad/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [What can you do right now to begin to turn your life around? 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The more we wantto be good parents, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-berrien-berends/especially-with-our-first-child-we-tend-to-take-too-much/) [Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) > [The trouble with most problem-solving books for parents is that they start with the idea that the child has a problem. Then they try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-berrien-berends/the-trouble-with-most-problem-solving-books-for-parents-is-that-they/) [Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) > [Parenthood always comes as a shock. Postpartum blues? Postpartum panic is more like it. 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We do not have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-berrien-berends/we-do-not-have-to-get-our-children-to-learn-only-to-allow-and/) [Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) > [The child does not begin to fall until she becomes seriously interested in walking, until she actually begins walking. Falling is thus more an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-berrien-berends/the-child-does-not-begin-to-fall-until-she-becomes-seriously-2/) [Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) > [We can see that the baby is as much an instrument of nourishment to us, as we are for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-berrien-berends/we-can-see-that-the-baby-is-as-much-an-instrument-of-nourishment-to/) [Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) [Explore all 27 Polly Berrien Berends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) ## More Parent quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. 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