--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being abandoned by a child or children is…" description: "\"“Being abandoned by a child or children is the most traumatic experience ever suffered by a parent. It’s a life-changing event, best- described as a li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/sally-miller-88984_children_being-abandoned-by-a-child-or-children-i_2726862.jpg" --- # Being abandoned by a child or children is the most… ![“Being abandoned by a child or children is the most traumatic experience ever suffered by a parent. It’s a life-changing event, best- described as a living death. There” quote by Sally Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/sally-miller-88984_children_being-abandoned-by-a-child-or-children-i_2726862.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/sally-miller-88984_children_being-abandoned-by-a-child-or-children-i_2726862.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/739/sally-miller-88984_children_being-abandoned-by-a-child-or-children-i_2726862.jpg) > ““Being abandoned by a child or children is the most traumatic experience ever suffered by a parent. It’s a life-changing event, best- described as a living death. There”” Sally Miller ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being abandoned by a child is described as a profoundly traumatic, life‑altering event akin to a living death for parents. **In simple terms:** Parental abandonment is deeply traumatic. Key Takeaway Seek support after loss. Themes trauma parenting loss death psychological impact Mood statement personal When to use this quote - divorce - child custody loss - bereavement therapy Key Concepts psychology family studies grief counseling Practical Applications - It may not capture varied parental experiences. Questions to Reflect On - sorrowful - empathetic A Different Perspective How does abandonment affect identity?;What healing paths exist? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“Marital psychological abuse suffered by a parent can never be understood by disrespectful, ungrateful, growing, biased, brainwashed children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/marital-psychological-abuse-suffered-by-a-parent-can-never-be/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [It's often said that a traumatic experience early in life marks a person forever, pulls her out of line, saying, "Stay there. Don't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/it-s-often-said-that-a-traumatic-experience-early-in-life-marks-a/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I think many writers really believe that being published is a traumatic experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-think-many-writers-really-believe-that-being-published-is-a/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [“I like to think of traumatic experience as the sword of Manjushri, a blade that cuts through the curtain we have woven in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-daiho-hilbert-roshi/i-like-to-think-of-traumatic-experience-as-the-sword-of-manjushri-a/) Harvey Daiho Hilbert-roshi > [Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-arbus/most-people-go-through-life-dreading-they-ll-have-a-traumatic-2/) [Diane Arbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-arbus/) > [“A traumatic experience is a seismic event that shakes our belief in a just world, robbing us of the sense that life is controllable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/a-traumatic-experience-is-a-seismic-event-that-shakes-our-belief-in-a/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Auditioning for 'Philomena' was such a traumatic experience because I had three callbacks, and I was absolutely positive that I was just an option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kennedy-clark/auditioning-for-philomena-was-such-a-traumatic-experience-because-i/) [Sophie Kennedy Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kennedy-clark/) > [“Some people with DID present their narratives of sadistic abuse in a quite matter-of-fact way, without perceptible affect. This may sometimes be done as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-galton/some-people-with-did-present-their-narratives-of-sadistic-abuse-in-a/) Graeme Galton > [When you have a traumatic experience, you look at your mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/when-you-have-a-traumatic-experience-you-look-at-your-mindset/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [Over a period of 11 months, I was constantly afraid that Youth Care would lock me up. It was all a frightening and traumatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dekker/over-a-period-of-11-months-i-was-constantly-afraid-that-youth-care/) [Laura Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dekker/) > [“I don't remember much about being born but I hear it's quite a traumatic experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-wohl/i-don-t-remember-much-about-being-born-but-i-hear-it-s-quite-a/) [Phil Wohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-wohl/) > [They say that abandonment is a wound that never heals. I say only that an abandoned child never forgets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-balotelli/they-say-that-abandonment-is-a-wound-that-never-heals-i-say-only-that/) [Mario Balotelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-balotelli/) > [I believe you can't be an actor if you haven't had the feeling of being abandoned as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-adjani/i-believe-you-can-t-be-an-actor-if-you-haven-t-had-the-feeling-of/) [Isabelle Adjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-adjani/) > [“Despite the way she rallied, the haunted look in her eyes was enough to break him, as lost and lonely as an abandoned child’s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mcintyre/despite-the-way-she-rallied-the-haunted-look-in-her-eyes-was-enough/) [Katherine McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mcintyre/) > [“He made small talk on the way about how he was abandoned as a child and will only rest easy once he is avenged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-lampoon/he-made-small-talk-on-the-way-about-how-he-was-abandoned-as-a-child/) [Harvard Lampoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvard-lampoon/) ## More by Sally Miller > [“I’m not bragging, but merely stating facts. Sometimes I have to remember my accomplishments and successes so I don’t dwell on my failures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-miller/i-m-not-bragging-but-merely-stating-facts-sometimes-i-have-to/) Sally Miller Explore all 2 Sally Miller quotes ## More Children 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/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. 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