--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mothers seem to be in subtle competition…" description: "\"Mothers seem to be in subtle competition with teachers. There is always an underlying fear that teachers will do a better job thanthey have done with t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/sara-lawrence-lightfoot-33198_areas_mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition_2798200.jpg" --- # Mothers seem to be in subtle competition with teachers… ![“Mothers seem to be in subtle competition with teachers. There is always an underlying fear that teachers will do a better job thanthey have done with their child… But mostly mothers feel that their areas of competence are very much similar to those of the teacher. In fact they feel they know their…” quote by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/sara-lawrence-lightfoot-33198_areas_mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition_2798200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/sara-lawrence-lightfoot-33198_areas_mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition_2798200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/sara-lawrence-lightfoot-33198_areas_mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition_2798200.jpg) > “Mothers seem to be in subtle competition with teachers. There is always an underlying fear that teachers will do a better job thanthey have done with their child… But mostly mothers feel that their areas of competence are very much similar to those of the teacher. In fact they feel they know their child better than anyone else and that the teacher doesn't possess any special field of authority or expertise.” [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mothers often feel they know their child better than teachers, leading to subtle competition and fear of being outperformed. **In simple terms:** Mothers compete with teachers, fearing they’re less knowledgeable. Key Takeaway Foster collaborative parent‑teacher relationships. Themes parenting education competition authority confidence Mood concerned optimistic Type analytical practical When to use this quote - school meetings - parent workshops - teacher training - family counseling - community forums Key Concepts knowledge sharing communication mutual respect Questions to Reflect On - How can trust be built between parents and teachers? - What structures support shared expertise? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize mother‑teacher dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Better jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-jobs/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Expertise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expertise/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) ## Related quotes > [“As coaches, we have to resist the temptation to judge teachers. Instead, we must take a progress-minded approach that celebrates growth from both the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-r-sweeney/as-coaches-we-have-to-resist-the-temptation-to-judge-teachers-instead/) Diane R Sweeney > [Certainly teachers themselves can do a better job of letting the world know how hard their profession is, but frankly, they have real work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-mali/certainly-teachers-themselves-can-do-a-better-job-of-letting-the/) [Taylor Mali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-mali/) > [There's a small movement of teacher-led schools across the country. These are schools that don't have a traditional principal, teachers come together and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goldstein/there-s-a-small-movement-of-teacher-led-schools-across-the-country/) [Dana Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goldstein/) > [Instead of just giving lip service to improving our schools, I will actually put the kids first and the teachers union behind in giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/instead-of-just-giving-lip-service-to-improving-our-schools-i-will/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [One of the darkest, deepest shames so many of us mothers feel nowadays is our fear that we are Bad Mothers, that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/one-of-the-darkest-deepest-shames-so-many-of-us-mothers-feel-nowadays/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [“I want to mother the world, I thought. I have so much love. Then—I have no business being a mother. I am a selfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mayhew-bergman/i-want-to-mother-the-world-i-thought-i-have-so-much-love-then-i-have/) [Megan Mayhew Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mayhew-bergman/) > [Many working mothers feel guilty about not being at home. And when they are there, they wish it could be perfect. This pressure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-rindner-tempelsman/many-working-mothers-feel-guilty-about-not-being-at-home-and-when/) [Cathy Rindner Tempelsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-rindner-tempelsman/) > [“The child opened her beak even wider, and the stork let out a moan. “It really wouldn’t hurt you to take an interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/the-child-opened-her-beak-even-wider-and-the-stork-let-out-a-moan-it/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [A woman will always be made to feel like a criminal, whatever choice she makes, however hard she tries. Mothers feel like criminals. Non-mothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/a-woman-will-always-be-made-to-feel-like-a-criminal-whatever-choice/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I wonder if other mothers feel a tug at their insides, watching their children grow up into the people they themselves wanted so badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-wonder-if-other-mothers-feel-a-tug-at-their-insides-watching-their/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [There are mothers that feel they made a mistake by having a kid at a very young age and they didn't get to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letoya-luckett/there-are-mothers-that-feel-they-made-a-mistake-by-having-a-kid-at-a/) [LeToya Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letoya-luckett/) > [Every cancer looks different. Every cancer has similarities to other cancers. And we're trying to milk those differences and similarities to do a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-e-varmus/every-cancer-looks-different-every-cancer-has-similarities-to-other/) [Harold E. Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/) > [Sir Alex, Mourinho, Wenger - none of them could have done a better job at Wigan than Steve Bruce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-martin/sir-alex-mourinho-wenger-none-of-them-could-have-done-a-better-job-at/) [Alvin Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-martin/) > [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot > [Productive collaborations between family and school, therefore, will demand that parents and teachers recognize the critical importance of each other's participation in the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/productive-collaborations-between-family-and-school-therefore-will/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [Even though fathers, grandparents, siblings, memories of ancestors are important agents of socialization, our society focuses on the attributes and characteristics of mothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/even-though-fathers-grandparents-siblings-memories-of-ancestors-are/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [Schooling is what happens inside the wall of the school, some of which is educational. Education happens everywhere, and it happens from the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/schooling-is-what-happens-inside-the-wall-of-the-school-some-of-which/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [Dissonance between family and school, therefore, is not only inevitable in a changing society; it also helps to make children moremalleable and responsive to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/dissonance-between-family-and-school-therefore-is-not-only-inevitable/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [“I also believe that the boundaries of school need to be made more porous and permeable, that we need to reduce the generational segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/i-also-believe-that-the-boundaries-of-school-need-to-be-made-more/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [We must develop a compelling vision of later life: one that does not assume a trajectory of decline after fifty, but one that recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/we-must-develop-a-compelling-vision-of-later-life-one-that-does-not/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [There must be a profound recognition that parents are the first teachers and that education begins before formal schooling and is deeply rooted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/there-must-be-a-profound-recognition-that-parents-are-the-first/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [Part of teaching is helping students learn how to tolerate ambiguity, consider possibilities, and ask questions that are unanswerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/part-of-teaching-is-helping-students-learn-how-to-tolerate-ambiguity/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [ For those parents from lower-class and minority communities\[who\] have had minimal experience in negotiating dominant, external institutions or have had negative and hostile contact… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/for-those-parents-from-lower-class-and-minority-communities-who-have/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [The ambiguous, gray areas of authority and responsibility between parents and teachers exacerbate the distrust between them. The distrust is further complicated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/the-ambiguous-gray-areas-of-authority-and-responsibility-between/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [It is rare, I think, for parents to let their children -- of any age -- grow up and become peers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/it-is-rare-i-think-for-parents-to-let-their-children-of-any-age-grow/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [Whether outside work is done by choice or not, whether women seek their identity through work, whether women are searching for pleasure or survival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/whether-outside-work-is-done-by-choice-or-not-whether-women-seek/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [It was much later that I realized Dad's secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened to the fourth-grade kids in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/it-was-much-later-that-i-realized-dad-s-secret-he-gained-respect-by/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [Views of women, on one side, as inwardly directed toward home and family and notions of men, on the other, as outwardly striving toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/views-of-women-on-one-side-as-inwardly-directed-toward-home-and/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) [Explore all 15 Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) ## More Areas quotes > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/) [John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/) > [Engaging the city around us and ministering to its needs reveal to us the remaining bastions of sin in our lives, the areas we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/engaging-the-city-around-us-and-ministering-to-its-needs-reveal-to-us/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [I believe it is a mistake to isolate arms control from other areas of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-it-is-a-mistake-to-isolate-arms-control-from-other-areas-of/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [When in one area of the world the standard of living and the size of the middle class increases, it is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/when-in-one-area-of-the-world-the-standard-of-living-and-the-size-of/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) Browse all 2,612 Areas quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mothers seem to be in subtle competition with teachers. There is always an underlying fear that teachers will do a better job thanthey have done with their child… But mostly mothers feel that their areas of competence are very much similar to those of the teacher. In fact they feel they know their child better than anyone else and that the teacher doesn't possess any special field of authority or expertise.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition-with-teachers-there-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Areas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition-with-teachers-there-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/sara-lawrence-lightfoot-33198_areas_mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition_2798200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/sara-lawrence-lightfoot-33198_areas_mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition_2798200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/sara-lawrence-lightfoot-33198_areas_mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition_2798200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mothers seem to be in subtle competition with teachers. There is always an underlying fear that teachers…” — Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot", "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": "Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Mothers seem to be in subtle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition-with-teachers-there-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/mothers-seem-to-be-in-subtle-competition-with-teachers-there-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 } } ] } ```