--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With grown children, we can look back at…" description: "\"With grown children, we can look back at both our mistakes and what we did well in our parenting, having conversations with a greater degree of honesty..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/wendy-lustbader-41178_adult-children_with-grown-children-we-can-look-back-at_2385267.jpg" --- # With grown children, we can look back at both our mistakes… ![“With grown children, we can look back at both our mistakes and what we did well in our parenting, having conversations with a greater degree of honesty than was possible before. In getting older themselves, our adult children may begin to comprehend the burdens and strengths we carried from our…” quote by Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/wendy-lustbader-41178_adult-children_with-grown-children-we-can-look-back-at_2385267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/wendy-lustbader-41178_adult-children_with-grown-children-we-can-look-back-at_2385267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/423/wendy-lustbader-41178_adult-children_with-grown-children-we-can-look-back-at_2385267.jpg) > “With grown children, we can look back at both our mistakes and what we did well in our parenting, having conversations with a greater degree of honesty than was possible before. In getting older themselves, our adult children may begin to comprehend the burdens and strengths we carried from our own parents.” [Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aging parents can discuss past parenting with honesty, while adult children gain empathy for their parents' challenges. **In simple terms:** Open talks help families understand each other better. Key Takeaway Foster honest intergenerational dialogue. Themes family growth empathy Mood reflective hopeful Type therapeutic inspirational When to use this quote - family gatherings - therapy sessions - legacy planning Key Concepts generational trauma communication reflection Questions to Reflect On - What stories can you share to bridge gaps? - How can you create safe spaces for these talks? A Different Perspective Older generations may resist revisiting painful memories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adult children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adult-children/) [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Getting old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-old/) [Getting older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-older/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) ## Related quotes > [“You raise them half-decent, and they grow up and leave. They move to Miami or California-- someplace with gourmet groceries and nude beaches because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/you-raise-them-half-decent-and-they-grow-up-and-leave-they-move-to/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [Nothing is more debilitating than to care about something you can't do anything about. And you can't do anything about your adult children. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/nothing-is-more-debilitating-than-to-care-about-something-you-can-t/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“I squinted at her. “You’re an adult.” “You’re an adult too.” “But you’re an older adult. 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So I started drinking a bit and that helped. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/when-i-first-started-i-was-really-nervous-you-could-hear-my-voice/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [Our souls are getting older and we're tired of doing things the same old way. We want to find some real solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/echo-bodine/our-souls-are-getting-older-and-we-re-tired-of-doing-things-the-same/) [Echo Bodine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/echo-bodine/) > [I'm still the baddest expletive in the world. Yeah, I'm getting older, but Kareem got older. Hakeem got older. I don't need Earthlings' respect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-m-still-the-baddest-expletive-in-the-world-yeah-i-m-getting-older/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [Getting older doesn't help you in the fact that you might have covered some of this ground before. So you're listening to a song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-brooks/getting-older-doesn-t-help-you-in-the-fact-that-you-might-have/) [Garth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-brooks/) > [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) ## More by Wendy Lustbader > [You will find your way. Don't be afraid of getting stuck in some of the necessary compromises. Learn everything you can from each experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lustbader/you-will-find-your-way-don-t-be-afraid-of-getting-stuck-in-some-of/) [Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) > [Stay open and curious, and realize that the best is yet to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lustbader/stay-open-and-curious-and-realize-that-the-best-is-yet-to-come/) [Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) > [The older we get, the less prone we are to putting off what we really want to do, therefore you will be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lustbader/the-older-we-get-the-less-prone-we-are-to-putting-off-what-we-really/) [Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) > [In many ways, the physical dimension of life becomes less important as the soul enlarges. 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Your self-confidence will grow if you seek challenges and worry less about the initial insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lustbader/be-patient-with-yourself-and-take-heart-your-self-confidence-will/) [Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) > [The real action is interior - all the growth that cannot be seen externally and to which we tend to have little access until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lustbader/the-real-action-is-interior-all-the-growth-that-cannot-be-seen/) [Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) > [With our intimate partners, we can take responsibility for the parts of ourselves that are hardest to deal with - because we finally know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lustbader/with-our-intimate-partners-we-can-take-responsibility-for-the-parts/) [Wendy Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) [Explore all 10 Wendy Lustbader quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lustbader/) ## More Adult children quotes > [Look, guys. That's my sweetheart in there. I'm not leaving her. This is my home now. Your mother is my home. -Duke (to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notebook/look-guys-that-s-my-sweetheart-in-there-i-m-not-leaving-her-this-is/) The Notebook > [“ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) Counseling can break the cycle in your family. Did you parent your parents? Chaos seem normal? Unhappiness is expected?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiritual-healing/acoa-adult-children-of-alcoholics-counseling-can-break-the-cycle-in/) Spiritual Healing > [As chairman of the housing committee, I had to help the council wrestle with the pressure on social housing from asylum seekers and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/as-chairman-of-the-housing-committee-i-had-to-help-the-council/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [Nothing is more debilitating than to care about something you can't do anything about. And you can't do anything about your adult children. 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But as the child fears the dark... the adult child will be fearful too, faced with the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-j-deikman/creative-action-plays-with-the-unknown-but-as-the-child-fears-the/) [Arthur J. Deikman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-j-deikman/) [Browse all 33 Adult children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adult-children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With grown children, we can look back at both our mistakes and what we did well in our parenting, having conversations with a greater degree of honesty than was possible before. 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