--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first thing to understand about…" description: "\"The first thing to understand about working with children's dreams is that adults need to listen up.\" — Robert Moss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/robert-moss-10995_adults_the-first-thing-to-understand-about-work_2801852.jpg" --- # The first thing to understand about working with… ![“The first thing to understand about working with children's dreams is that adults need to listen up.” quote by Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/robert-moss-10995_adults_the-first-thing-to-understand-about-work_2801852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/robert-moss-10995_adults_the-first-thing-to-understand-about-work_2801852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/robert-moss-10995_adults_the-first-thing-to-understand-about-work_2801852.jpg) > “The first thing to understand about working with children's dreams is that adults need to listen up.” [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults must actively listen to children’s dreams to understand and support them. **In simple terms:** Adults must listen to children’s dreams. Key Takeaway Engage with youthful imagination. Themes parenting dreams listening Mood empathetic inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - family discussions - educational settings - creative workshops Key Concepts psychology child development Questions to Reflect On - How can you better hear a child’s dream? - What benefits arise from listening? A Different Perspective Adults may misinterpret dreams. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Adults Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults-need-1329142/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-dreams-2065080/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-adults-1162073/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Working Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-children-1289580/) [Working with children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-with-children/) ## Related quotes > [I had lived all of my youthful dreams, but I couldn't think of many adult ones. I finally realized that we don't have many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gilbert/i-had-lived-all-of-my-youthful-dreams-but-i-couldn-t-think-of-many/) [Jack Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gilbert/) > [I learned a lot about working with children, and about myself, and it reinforced my decision to pursue a career in teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-murphy/i-learned-a-lot-about-working-with-children-and-about-myself-and-it/) [Carolyn Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-murphy/) > [Working with children is very different than the way in which I work with adults. I never tell the children the actual truth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asghar-farhadi/working-with-children-is-very-different-than-the-way-in-which-i-work/) [Asghar Farhadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asghar-farhadi/) > [The coaches today should realize that they are, after all, working with children who sometimes have to stand up to physical and moral stresses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-mukhina/the-coaches-today-should-realize-that-they-are-after-all-working-with/) [Elena Mukhina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-mukhina/) > [Working with children is the easiest part of educating for democracy, because children are still undefeated and have no stake in being prejudiced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/working-with-children-is-the-easiest-part-of-educating-for-democracy/) [Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/) > [ \[On the press:\] I love working with children, and I have learned to be very patient with them. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/on-the-press-i-love-working-with-children-and-i-have-learned-to-be/) [Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/) > [Often you hear stories about never working with children. I disagree because children still have that residual magical thinking. They haven't had their imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/often-you-hear-stories-about-never-working-with-children-i-disagree/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [It's a wonderful thing working with young actors. I know a lot of people don't like working with children. I actually adore it, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-forbes/it-s-a-wonderful-thing-working-with-young-actors-i-know-a-lot-of/) [Michelle Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-forbes/) > [There are children with dreams counting on us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/there-are-children-with-dreams-counting-on-us/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [“If we throw blankets over our children's dreams, we darken their world and extinguish their desire to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-we-throw-blankets-over-our-children-s-dreams-we-darken-their-world/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Why do other children's dreams come true and mine don't?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-admont/why-do-other-children-s-dreams-come-true-and-mine-don-t/) [Shelley Admont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-admont/) > [Christian adults need to think about talking to our own children as a form of cross-cultural missions. Cultural change happens so quickly that teens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/christian-adults-need-to-think-about-talking-to-our-own-children-as-a/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [We adults need to stand up for our kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cain/we-adults-need-to-stand-up-for-our-kids/) [Will Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cain/) > [“They said - Adults need to have fun so children will want to grow up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-bauermeister/they-said-adults-need-to-have-fun-so-children-will-want-to-grow-up/) [Erica Bauermeister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-bauermeister/) > [Kids keep getting wiser younger, which is dangerous, and adults need to stop taking themselves too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/kids-keep-getting-wiser-younger-which-is-dangerous-and-adults-need-to/) [Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/) ## More by Robert Moss > [“Dreams are part of our human survival kit, part of what has kept us going, and evolving on this planet. Across history most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/dreams-are-part-of-our-human-survival-kit-part-of-what-has-kept-us/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [Choices are our choices so I am not taking away anyone's personal choice, but we run into difficulty when we're having choices made for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/choices-are-our-choices-so-i-am-not-taking-away-anyone-s-personal/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [Highly creative people have a gift for connecting supposedly unrelated elements and ideas. They cross borders without regard for customs posts or No Trespassing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/highly-creative-people-have-a-gift-for-connecting-supposedly/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [Our ancestors are looking for us even if we're not looking for them. And by our ancestors I mean our bloodlines and the ancestors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/our-ancestors-are-looking-for-us-even-if-we-re-not-looking-for-them/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“Australian Aborigines say that the big stories — the stories worth telling and retelling, the ones in which you may find the meaning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/australian-aborigines-say-that-the-big-stories-the-stories-worth/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [Subatomic particles exist in all possible states until they are observed - at which point something definite emerges from the soup of possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/subatomic-particles-exist-in-all-possible-states-until-they-are/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“The human animal needs meaning as well as food and air and sex and water. The sense that life is meaningless is at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/the-human-animal-needs-meaning-as-well-as-food-and-air-and-sex-and/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [What I'm talking about is fun. It's every day, it's high energy, and it gives you guidance and healing for your life. It puts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/what-i-m-talking-about-is-fun-it-s-every-day-it-s-high-energy-and-it/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [Suppose you have a parallel self who has made different choices, who is following a different event track since you made certain choices in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/suppose-you-have-a-parallel-self-who-has-made-different-choices-who/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [Living by synchronicity isn't merely about getting messages. It is about growing the poetic consciousness that allows us to taste and touch what rhymes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/living-by-synchronicity-isn-t-merely-about-getting-messages-it-is/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [I'm in favor of approaching both the night and the day with intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-m-in-favor-of-approaching-both-the-night-and-the-day-with-intention/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [There are chemical and other explanations for addictions, but speaking from my own observations (and I am a shamanic type), there is always some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/there-are-chemical-and-other-explanations-for-addictions-but-speaking/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [It is difficult to wrap your mind around this intellectually and until you've had the experience, it can be difficult to understand. I tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/it-is-difficult-to-wrap-your-mind-around-this-intellectually-and/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [On a psychic level, we could be carrying energies and entities and cravings and habits and confusion and patterns of behavior from generation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/on-a-psychic-level-we-could-be-carrying-energies-and-entities-and/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) [Explore all 62 Robert Moss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [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/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first thing to understand about working with children's dreams is that adults need to listen up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Moss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/the-first-thing-to-understand-about-working-with-children-s-dreams-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adults" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/the-first-thing-to-understand-about-working-with-children-s-dreams-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/robert-moss-10995_adults_the-first-thing-to-understand-about-work_2801852.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/robert-moss-10995_adults_the-first-thing-to-understand-about-work_2801852.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b17/robert-moss-10995_adults_the-first-thing-to-understand-about-work_2801852.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first thing to understand about working with children's dreams is that adults need to listen up.” — Robert Moss", "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": "Robert Moss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first thing to understand about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/the-first-thing-to-understand-about-working-with-children-s-dreams-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/the-first-thing-to-understand-about-working-with-children-s-dreams-is/#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 } } ] } ```