---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a parent, it's my responsibility to…"
description: "\"As a parent, it's my responsibility to equip my child to do this - to grieve when grief is necessary and to realize that life is still profoundly beaut..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/sam-harris-457_after_as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-eq_2008883.jpg"
---

#  As a parent, it's my responsibility to equip my child to…

![“As a parent, it's my responsibility to equip my child to do this - to grieve when grief is necessary and to realize that life is still profoundly beautiful and worth living despite the fact that we inevitably lose one another and that life ends, and we don't know what happens after death.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/sam-harris-457_after_as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-eq_2008883.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/sam-harris-457_after_as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-eq_2008883.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/sam-harris-457_after_as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-eq_2008883.jpg)

> “As a parent, it's my responsibility to equip my child to do this - to grieve when grief is necessary and to realize that life is still profoundly beautiful and worth living despite the fact that we inevitably lose one another and that life ends, and we don't know what happens after death.”

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Parents should teach children to accept grief while recognizing life's beauty despite loss and mortality.

**In simple terms:** Teach kids to grieve and see life's beauty.

Key Takeaway

Balance grief with appreciation of life.

Themes

parenting grief meaning of life mortality resilience

Mood

reflective hopeful somber

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- raising children
- counseling
- support groups
- end‑of‑life discussions

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you help a child process loss?
- What practices keep life’s beauty in view during grief?

A Different Perspective

Grief may overwhelm and impede appreciation without guidance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-grieve-3576844/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Despite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despite/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Equip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equip/) [Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-necessary-1089140/) [Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieve/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Inevitably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitably/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) [Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose/) [Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parent Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent-responsibility-625583/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Profoundly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profoundly/) [Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/) [Worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-living/)

## Related quotes

> [Receding from grief, it seems necessary to retrace the same steps that brought us there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/receding-from-grief-it-seems-necessary-to-retrace-the-same-steps-that/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Grief is no more necessary when we understand death than fear is necessary when we understand flying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/grief-is-no-more-necessary-when-we-understand-death-than-fear-is/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [“Remember that grief is a necessary pain. It’s your only way to heal. To starve it will destroy you.”~The Grimoire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-m-boyce/remember-that-grief-is-a-necessary-pain-it-s-your-only-way-to-heal-to/)

[S.M. Boyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-boyce/)

> [It is a parent's responsibility to preserve the connection with their children, to preserve the relationship, so that the children can let go and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-neufeld/it-is-a-parent-s-responsibility-to-preserve-the-connection-with-their/)

[Gordon Neufeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-neufeld/)

> [Every parent has the responsibility to cultivate his child's heart. If we leave our children's heart alone, they tend to become like a garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/every-parent-has-the-responsibility-to-cultivate-his-child-s-heart-if/)

[Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/)

> [“a parent’s responsibility could not be more simple: To bring a child safely into adulthood so that she could have a chance to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/a-parent-s-responsibility-could-not-be-more-simple-to-bring-a-child/)

[Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/)

> [I related so much to the responsibility of being a parent, the responsibility of "did you screw your kid up," the responsibility of letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-related-so-much-to-the-responsibility-of-being-a-parent-the/)

[John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/)

> [I remind everyone: Whether you school them at home or send them to school, you as a parent have the responsibility to make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-istook/i-remind-everyone-whether-you-school-them-at-home-or-send-them-to/)

[Ernest Istook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-istook/)

> [It seems to me that a Latter-day Saint parent has a responsibility in love and gentleness to affirm the teaching of the Lord through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/it-seems-to-me-that-a-latter-day-saint-parent-has-a-responsibility-in/)

[Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/)

> [It's not the child's responsibility to teach the parent who they are. It's the parent's responsibility to learn who the child is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/it-s-not-the-child-s-responsibility-to-teach-the-parent-who-they-are/)

[Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/)

> [Every parent's first responsibility is to teach his child that there is a God to whom he's accountable and that God has certain commands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/every-parent-s-first-responsibility-is-to-teach-his-child-that-there/)

[Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/)

> [“he admitted that he had projected his ideas of how life should go based on the route he had taken himself. He said he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/he-admitted-that-he-had-projected-his-ideas-of-how-life-should-go/)

[Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/)

> [When we decide to bring a child to this world, as a parent, it becomes a responsibility to build a good healthy body by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soha-ali-khan/when-we-decide-to-bring-a-child-to-this-world-as-a-parent-it-becomes/)

[Soha Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soha-ali-khan/)

> [“I think that as a parent, you have the responsibility to create a peaceful and warm home for your child to come back to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kou-matsuzuki/i-think-that-as-a-parent-you-have-the-responsibility-to-create-a/)

[Kou Matsuzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kou-matsuzuki/)

> [Custody agreements aren't worth the paper they are written on. They give one parent all the responsibility and the other the choice of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/custody-agreements-aren-t-worth-the-paper-they-are-written-on-they/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Sam Harris

> [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

[Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

## More After quotes

> [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/)

[Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/)

> [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/)

[Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/)

> [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/)

[Deke Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-richards/)

> [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

> [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

> [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/)

[Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/)

> [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/)

[John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/)

> [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/)

[Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/)

> [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/)

[James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/)

> [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/)

[Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/)

> [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/)

[Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/)

> [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/)

[Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/)

> [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/)

[Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/)

> [I'd like an omelet named after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/i-d-like-an-omelet-named-after-me/)

[Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/)

[Browse all 3,411 After quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As a parent, it's my responsibility to equip my child to do this - to grieve when grief is necessary and to realize that life is still profoundly beautiful and worth living despite the fact that we inevitably lose one another and that life ends, and we don't know what happens after death.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sam Harris"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-equip-my-child-to-do-this-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "After"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-equip-my-child-to-do-this-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/sam-harris-457_after_as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-eq_2008883.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/sam-harris-457_after_as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-eq_2008883.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/sam-harris-457_after_as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-eq_2008883.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As a parent, it's my responsibility to equip my child to do this - to grieve when grief is necessary and to…” — Sam Harris",
                "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": "Sam Harris",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As a parent, it's my responsibility...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-equip-my-child-to-do-this-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-a-parent-it-s-my-responsibility-to-equip-my-child-to-do-this-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
