---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perfectionist parents seem to operate…"
description: "\"“Perfectionist parents seem to operate under the illusion that if they can just get their children to be perfect, they will be a perfect family. They p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/susan-forward-ph-d-280597_bad-parents_perfectionist-parents-seem-to-operate-un_191137.jpg"
---

#  Perfectionist parents seem to operate under the illusion…

![“Perfectionist parents seem to operate under the illusion that if they can just get their children to be perfect, they will be a perfect family. They put the burden of stability on the child to avoid facing the fact that they, as parents, cannot provide it. The child fails and becomes the scapegoat…” quote by Susan Forward Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/susan-forward-ph-d-280597_bad-parents_perfectionist-parents-seem-to-operate-un_191137.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/susan-forward-ph-d-280597_bad-parents_perfectionist-parents-seem-to-operate-un_191137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a7/susan-forward-ph-d-280597_bad-parents_perfectionist-parents-seem-to-operate-un_191137.jpg)

> ““Perfectionist parents seem to operate under the illusion that if they can just get their children to be perfect, they will be a perfect family. They put the burden of stability on the child to avoid facing the fact that they, as parents, cannot provide it. The child fails and becomes the scapegoat for family problems. Once again, the child is saddled with the blame.””

[Susan Forward Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-forward-ph-d/)

## About This Quote

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

Parents who demand perfection create unrealistic expectations, burdening children with stability and blame, leading to scapegoating when failures occur.

**In simple terms:** Perfectionist parents shift responsibility onto children, causing blame and family dysfunction.

Key Takeaway

Encourage realistic expectations and shared responsibility in families.

Themes

parenting family dynamics blame perfectionism psychology

Mood

empathetic critical insightful

Type

Bad-parents:1 Blame:1 Child:1 Children:1 Family:1 Family problems:1 Parenting:1 Parents:1 Perfect family:0 Perfectionist:1 Scapegoat:1 Perfectionist Parents:1 Parents Operate:0

When to use this quote

- counseling sessions
- family therapy
- parent workshops

Key Concepts

family systems emotional burden accountability

Questions to Reflect On

- What pressures do children feel from perfectionist parents?
- How can families foster healthier expectations?

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[Bad-parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-parents-14194/) [Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-problems/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents Operate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-operate-2019158/) [Perfect family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-family/) [Perfectionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionist/) [Perfectionist Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionist-parents-2019157/) [Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat/)

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