---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children always know when their mothers…"
description: "\"Children always know when their mothers are crazy - they just never admit it, not out loud, to anyone.\" — Sarah Addison Allen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/sarah-addison-allen-810_children_children-always-know-when-their-mothers_2764647.png"
---

#  Children always know when their mothers are crazy - they…

![“Children always know when their mothers are crazy - they just never admit it, not out loud, to anyone.” quote by Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/sarah-addison-allen-810_children_children-always-know-when-their-mothers_2764647.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/sarah-addison-allen-810_children_children-always-know-when-their-mothers_2764647.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/sarah-addison-allen-810_children_children-always-know-when-their-mothers_2764647.png)

> “Children always know when their mothers are crazy - they just never admit it, not out loud, to anyone.”

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

## About This Quote

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

Children intuitively sense parental stress, often keeping it hidden, highlighting family communication gaps.

**In simple terms:** Kids sense stress but hide it.

Key Takeaway

Foster open family dialogue.

Themes

family communication emotional awareness

Mood

thoughtful empathetic

Type

literary insightful

When to use this quote

- family dinner
- parent‑child counseling
- stressful events

Key Concepts

psychology parenting dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you create a safe space for kids to express concerns?
- What signals show a child is struggling?

A Different Perspective

Kids may misinterpret or internalize stress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [On Mother's Day, we take a moment to stop and honor our mothers for all they do. It has been my privilege to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/on-mother-s-day-we-take-a-moment-to-stop-and-honor-our-mothers-for/)

[John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/)

> [How simple a thing it seems to me that to know ourselves as we are, we must know our mothers names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/how-simple-a-thing-it-seems-to-me-that-to-know-ourselves-as-we-are-we/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [I taught school in the early days of my manhood and I think I know something about mothers. There is a thread of aspiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-taught-school-in-the-early-days-of-my-manhood-and-i-think-i-know/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [“I know of other mothers who have children with disabilities,and right away they loved them and decided to ﬁght for them. That isn’t my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-marchenko/i-know-of-other-mothers-who-have-children-with-disabilities-and-right/)

[Gillian Marchenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-marchenko/)

> [Everyone always talks about how well mothers know their children. No one ever seems to notice how well children know their mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-unger/everyone-always-talks-about-how-well-mothers-know-their-children-no/)

[Lisa Unger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-unger/)

> [Our mythology tells us so much about fathers and sons. ... What do we know about mothers and daughters? ... Our power is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/our-mythology-tells-us-so-much-about-fathers-and-sons-what-do-we-know/)

[Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/)

> [I think mothers get a raw deal in American culture, so I've been defending them. I have three daughters, and I know that as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyne-daly/i-think-mothers-get-a-raw-deal-in-american-culture-so-i-ve-been/)

[Tyne Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyne-daly/)

> [“Let my silence grow with noise as pregnant mothers grow with life. Let my silence permeate these walls as sunlight permeates a home. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/let-my-silence-grow-with-noise-as-pregnant-mothers-grow-with-life-let/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [If the others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy. But since I am not, I do not care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/if-the-others-heard-me-talking-out-loud-they-would-think-that-i-am/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [We danced too wild, and we sang too long, and we hugged too hard, and we kissed too sweet, and howled just as loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/we-danced-too-wild-and-we-sang-too-long-and-we-hugged-too-hard-and-we/)

[Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/)

> [My children will never know what its like, not being able to see a movie because they are all rented out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-children-will-never-know-what-its-like-not-being-able-to-see-a/)

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

> [You are the smartest children i know. You just don't beleive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trenton-lee-stewart/you-are-the-smartest-children-i-know-you-just-don-t-beleive-it/)

[Trenton Lee Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trenton-lee-stewart/)

> [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [To my future children; you will know the true meaning of Christmas just not you get gifts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-my-future-children-you-will-know-the-true-meaning-of-christmas/)

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

> [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/)

## More by Sarah Addison Allen

> [“It feels like he's taken your heart, doesn't it?…Like he's reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/it-feels-like-he-s-taken-your-heart-doesn-t-it-like-he-s-reached-in/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“Sitting at the old patio table she’d cleared of leaves, she smiled and leaned back. The stars looked twisted in the limbs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sitting-at-the-old-patio-table-she-d-cleared-of-leaves-she-smiled-and/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [Nothing is really broke, so it's not like I can fix it. I just have to keep trying to find what I'm looking for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/nothing-is-really-broke-so-it-s-not-like-i-can-fix-it-i-just-have-to/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [Sometimes people who had been together for a long time got to imagining that things used to be better, even when they weren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sometimes-people-who-had-been-together-for-a-long-time-got-to/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“There was such a feeling of peace around them, it was soft and pink and smelled of butter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/there-was-such-a-feeling-of-peace-around-them-it-was-soft-and-pink/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“The two giant oaks in the front yard looked like flustered ladies caught mid-curtsy, their starched green leaf-dresses swaying in the wind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/the-two-giant-oaks-in-the-front-yard-looked-like-flustered-ladies/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [Men. You can't live with them, you can't shoot them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/men-you-can-t-live-with-them-you-can-t-shoot-them/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“After awhile, all the men wanted his opinion, and all the girls were in love with him. He made certain of it. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/after-awhile-all-the-men-wanted-his-opinion-and-all-the-girls-were-in/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [People adapt. People change. You can grow where you're planted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/people-adapt-people-change-you-can-grow-where-you-re-planted/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“She wasn’t sure exactly when it happened when she had realized that she could only make one of them happy. She only knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/she-wasn-t-sure-exactly-when-it-happened-when-she-had-realized-that/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [I'll give you one day at a time, Claire. But remember, I'm thousands of days ahead already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/i-ll-give-you-one-day-at-a-time-claire-but-remember-i-m-thousands-of/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“She opened her eyes slowly and saw that a pale lavender moth had come to a rest on the back of her hand. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/she-opened-her-eyes-slowly-and-saw-that-a-pale-lavender-moth-had-come/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [How could someone with a life this full feel this empty?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/how-could-someone-with-a-life-this-full-feel-this-empty/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“Her life was monotonous, but it kept her out of trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/her-life-was-monotonous-but-it-kept-her-out-of-trouble/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [“She knew him in that way you can only know a person you remember as a child, like if you cracked away the adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/she-knew-him-in-that-way-you-can-only-know-a-person-you-remember-as-a/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

[Explore all 362 Sarah Addison Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

## 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. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

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

> [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/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Children always know when their mothers are crazy - they just never admit it, not out loud, to anyone.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Addison Allen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/children-always-know-when-their-mothers-are-crazy-they-just-never/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/children-always-know-when-their-mothers-are-crazy-they-just-never/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/sarah-addison-allen-810_children_children-always-know-when-their-mothers_2764647.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/sarah-addison-allen-810_children_children-always-know-when-their-mothers_2764647.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/sarah-addison-allen-810_children_children-always-know-when-their-mothers_2764647.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Children always know when their mothers are crazy - they just never admit it, not out loud, to anyone.” — Sarah Addison Allen",
                "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": "Sarah Addison Allen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Children always know when their mothers...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/children-always-know-when-their-mothers-are-crazy-they-just-never/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/children-always-know-when-their-mothers-are-crazy-they-just-never/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
