---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good parents have children who do…"
description: "\"Good parents have children who do terrible things and vice-versa.\" — Terry McMillan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/terry-mcmillan-7261_children_good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrib_1256316.jpg"
---

#  Good parents have children who do terrible things and…

![“Good parents have children who do terrible things and vice-versa.” quote by Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/terry-mcmillan-7261_children_good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrib_1256316.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/terry-mcmillan-7261_children_good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrib_1256316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/terry-mcmillan-7261_children_good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrib_1256316.jpg)

> “Good parents have children who do terrible things and vice-versa.”

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

## About This Quote

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

Notes the paradox where good parents can have children who act poorly, and vice versa, highlighting complex family dynamics.

**In simple terms:** Good parents can have troubled children, and vice versa.

Key Takeaway

Family dynamics are unpredictable.

Themes

family behavior paradox psychology

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

analytical reflective

When to use this quote

- family counseling
- parenting workshops
- social services
- educational programs
- media analysis

Key Concepts

parenting social influence intergenerational patterns

Questions to Reflect On

- What factors shape a child's actions?
- How can families break negative cycles?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify causes of behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Good parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-parent/) [Good Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-parents/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Terrible things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-things/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/)

## Related quotes

> [Good parents give their children Roots and Wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/good-parents-give-their-children-roots-and-wings-roots-to-know-where/)

[Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/)

> [...people mostly pray as if there were no God with them, or as if He did not heed their prayers. Let us ascribe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/people-mostly-pray-as-if-there-were-no-god-with-them-or-as-if-he-did/)

[John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/)

> [I don't think anybody feels like they're a good parent. Or if people think they're good parents, they ought to think again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-don-t-think-anybody-feels-like-they-re-a-good-parent-or-if-people/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [Lemurs are good parents but they do it in different ways. I originally studied father care. I was very interested in that and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-wright/lemurs-are-good-parents-but-they-do-it-in-different-ways-i-originally/)

[Patricia Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-wright/)

> [Bad parents never try to research or read about decent parenting behaviour or ideas. Good parents read tons of info on being a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bad-parents-never-try-to-research-or-read-about-decent-parenting/)

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

> [If my time has come I shall have nothing to complain of. For fifty-tree years I have been painting; so I have been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-camille-corot/if-my-time-has-come-i-shall-have-nothing-to-complain-of-for-fifty/)

[Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-camille-corot/)

> [When you have a lot of resources, the most important thing is to have had good parents and to have been brought up by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/when-you-have-a-lot-of-resources-the-most-important-thing-is-to-have/)

[David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/)

> [I basically had the same body when I was 14 and that was weird. But I think I had really good parents. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ratajkowski/i-basically-had-the-same-body-when-i-was-14-and-that-was-weird-but-i/)

[Emily Ratajkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-ratajkowski/)

> [I think when you're 16, if you have good parents, they generally just fade in the background. I had great parents, and because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-when-you-re-16-if-you-have-good-parents-they-generally-just/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Within forty years of their arrival in the Plymouth colony, the first white settlers were afraid their children had lost the dedication and religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-keniston/within-forty-years-of-their-arrival-in-the-plymouth-colony-the-first/)

[Kenneth Keniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-keniston/)

> [I was in fact anxious about whether I would be any good at being a father. And then I met so many people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-was-in-fact-anxious-about-whether-i-would-be-any-good-at-being-a/)

[Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/)

> [We have a good opportunity to be good parents right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-nichols/we-have-a-good-opportunity-to-be-good-parents-right-now/)

[Joe Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-nichols/)

> [I started out in life with two great advantages: No money and good parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-started-out-in-life-with-two-great-advantages-no-money-and-good/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [being a parent is not transaction ... we do not get what we give. It is the ultimate pay-it-forward endeavor: we are good parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/being-a-parent-is-not-transaction-we-do-not-get-what-we-give-it-is/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Especially with our first child, we tend to take too much responsibility--both credit and blame--for everything. The more we wantto be good parents, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-berrien-berends/especially-with-our-first-child-we-tend-to-take-too-much/)

[Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/)

## More by Terry McMillan

> [It should be obvious that I wasn't no honor roll student in high school. My favorite class was boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/it-should-be-obvious-that-i-wasn-t-no-honor-roll-student-in-high/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [The best rush in the world is getting something at 80 percent off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/the-best-rush-in-the-world-is-getting-something-at-80-percent-off/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [I'm a fast writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/i-m-a-fast-writer/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [It's not that marriage itself is bad; it's the people we marry who give it a bad name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/it-s-not-that-marriage-itself-is-bad-it-s-the-people-we-marry-who/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [If you jump to conclusions, you make terrible landings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/if-you-jump-to-conclusions-you-make-terrible-landings/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [I'm not an angry woman. I'm not bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/i-m-not-an-angry-woman-i-m-not-bitter/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [My mama taught me that anything worth doing in life should be a little scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/my-mama-taught-me-that-anything-worth-doing-in-life-should-be-a/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [As far as young kids go, my primary interest is to get parents to read to their kids. That's about the most you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/as-far-as-young-kids-go-my-primary-interest-is-to-get-parents-to-read/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [I would be content being a housewife if I could find the kind of man who wouldn't treat me like one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/i-would-be-content-being-a-housewife-if-i-could-find-the-kind-of-man/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [I've got tons of irreplaceable information inside the soul of this computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/i-ve-got-tons-of-irreplaceable-information-inside-the-soul-of-this/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [It's sad to think that we've gotten to this, that we actually have to think about how to go about finding a man. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/it-s-sad-to-think-that-we-ve-gotten-to-this-that-we-actually-have-to/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [Cruising the Internet doesn't count as writing. Neither does answering e-mail. Before you check Twitter &amp; FB and do other similar tasks that get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/cruising-the-internet-doesn-t-count-as-writing-neither-does-answering/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [“I had been on a whole lot of folks' prayer lists and God had known for years my address was still 111 Unlucky-in-LOve-Avenue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/i-had-been-on-a-whole-lot-of-folks-prayer-lists-and-god-had-known-for/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [“Yeah, well all I can say is that a half truth is a still a while lie, ain't it...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/yeah-well-all-i-can-say-is-that-a-half-truth-is-a-still-a-while-lie/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

> [We get divorce, we get conned, someone we love dies, or we can't find anybody to love us or somebody breaks our heart and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/we-get-divorce-we-get-conned-someone-we-love-dies-or-we-can-t-find/)

[Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

[Explore all 93 Terry McMillan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/)

## More Child quotes

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [“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 parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/)

[LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/)

[Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/)

[Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/)

> [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/)

[Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/)

[Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Good parents have children who do terrible things and vice-versa.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry McMillan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrible-things-and-vice-versa/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Child"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrible-things-and-vice-versa/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/terry-mcmillan-7261_children_good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrib_1256316.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/terry-mcmillan-7261_children_good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrib_1256316.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/terry-mcmillan-7261_children_good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrib_1256316.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Good parents have children who do terrible things and vice-versa.” — Terry McMillan",
                "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": "Terry McMillan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Good parents have children who do...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrible-things-and-vice-versa/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/good-parents-have-children-who-do-terrible-things-and-vice-versa/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
