--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Curiously enough, though, it was Jeanette…" description: "\"“Curiously enough, though, it was Jeanette who came home one day with a C on a test. Prior to that, B was the lowest grade any of us had gotten, and ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/yvonne-s-thornton-58359_old-clothes_curiously-enough-though-it-was-jeanette_1185205.jpg" --- # Curiously enough, though, it was Jeanette who came home… ![“Curiously enough, though, it was Jeanette who came home one day with a C on a test. Prior to that, B was the lowest grade any of us had gotten, and even a B caused Mommy to shake her head and ask, 'Did anyone in the class get an A? Then you can get an A, too. You just have to study harder.' But…” quote by Yvonne S. Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/yvonne-s-thornton-58359_old-clothes_curiously-enough-though-it-was-jeanette_1185205.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/yvonne-s-thornton-58359_old-clothes_curiously-enough-though-it-was-jeanette_1185205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/yvonne-s-thornton-58359_old-clothes_curiously-enough-though-it-was-jeanette_1185205.jpg) > ““Curiously enough, though, it was Jeanette who came home one day with a C on a test. Prior to that, B was the lowest grade any of us had gotten, and even a B caused Mommy to shake her head and ask, 'Did anyone in the class get an A? Then you can get an A, too. You just have to study harder.' But this time she looked at the C on Jeanette's paper and said nothing. Wasn't she going to lay into Jeanette? Was Doc so special that she could get away with anything? The rest of us were stunned. I, for one, resolved that if that's the way it was going to be, I was darned if I was going to work so hard at studying from then on. Then Saturday came. Mommy roused Jeanette at 6:00 A.M., told her to dress in old clothes, and ordered her to the kitchen, where she handed Jeanette a bucket and scrub clothes. 'You and I are going to clean the kitchen from top to bottom,' Mommy announced. 'I'm going to teach you how to do it and do every bit of it right because that's what you're going to be doing for a living when you grow up'. Jeanette was outraged. 'I'm going to be a doctor'! 'Anybody who gets a C on a test is either too dumb or too lazy to be a doctor. You're going to end up working in somebody's kitchen, so you'd better know how to do it. Now, start by scouring the oven. And I want it spotless'.”” [Yvonne S. Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-s-thornton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother uses a low grade as an excuse to force her daughter into domestic labor, implying that failure defines future work. **In simple terms:** Parents may punish children for grades, shaping their self‑worth. Key Takeaway Recognize when criticism is about control, not learning. Themes parenting education class gender power Mood frustrated defiant reflective Type narrative critical cautionary When to use this quote - school performance - parent‑child dynamics - career aspirations - household chores Key Concepts social conditioning expectations identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond when a setback is used to limit your ambitions? - What alternative support could a parent offer? A Different Perspective The anecdote may exaggerate for effect and not reflect typical parenting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caused Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caused-mommy-3492161/) [Handed Jeanette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handed-jeanette-3492162/) [Jeanette Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jeanette-came-3492163/) [Jeanette Outraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jeanette-outraged-3492160/) [Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mommy/) [Old clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-clothes/) [Study Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-harder-213834/) ## Related quotes > [Read a record number of books in a given month. 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Study harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-anno/you-re-an-idiot-study-harder/) [Hideaki Anno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideaki-anno/) > [What do you have to do in life to get better? I would bet you would say study harder, or be more focused, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-justice/what-do-you-have-to-do-in-life-to-get-better-i-would-bet-you-would/) [Jim Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-justice/) > [Party hard, study harder!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/party-hard-study-harder/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...if I have a daughter I will tell her she can do anything, and I will mean it, because I have no other intention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mowafi/if-i-have-a-daughter-i-will-tell-her-she-can-do-anything-and-i-will/) [Amy Mowafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mowafi/) > [I love the challenge of taking something that may be boring to a lot of people but is unarguably important. It's irresistible. I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-rocca/i-love-the-challenge-of-taking-something-that-may-be-boring-to-a-lot/) [Mo Rocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-rocca/) > [There was a loneliness because kids my age had video games, tennis. They traveled. They had beautiful clothes. I was wearing my sisters' old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riccardo-tisci/there-was-a-loneliness-because-kids-my-age-had-video-games-tennis/) [Riccardo Tisci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riccardo-tisci/) > [“Things I Used to Get Hit For: Talking back. Being smart. Acting stupid. Not listening. Not answering the first time. Not doing what I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thurber/things-i-used-to-get-hit-for-talking-back-being-smart-acting-stupid/) [Bob Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thurber/) > [Lots of people think they're charitable if they give away their old clothes and things they don't want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/lots-of-people-think-they-re-charitable-if-they-give-away-their-old/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [We're starting to feel We stayed together out of fear Of dying alone I've been slipping through the years my old clothes don't fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/we-re-starting-to-feel-we-stayed-together-out-of-fear-of-dying-alone/) [she's\_gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/she-s-gone/) > [Who ever saw his old clothes, - his old coat, actually worn out, resolved into its primitive elements, so that it was not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/who-ever-saw-his-old-clothes-his-old-coat-actually-worn-out-resolved/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The Citizen's attic was, objectively, breathtaking. The place was littered with trunks and old clothes and wardrobes and pieces of furniture and strange metal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-genevieve-tucholke/the-citizen-s-attic-was-objectively-breathtaking-the-place-was/) [April Genevieve Tucholke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-genevieve-tucholke/) > [“He turned him about in the light from the window. What are you wearing? he said. Harrogate shuffled and flapped his arms. Aw, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-turned-him-about-in-the-light-from-the-window-what-are-you-wearing/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More by Yvonne S. Thornton > [ “Once I ask \[Daddy\] when he worked on Sundays instead of going to Church with us. 'Cookie,' he said, 'you eat on Sundays just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-s-thornton/once-i-ask-daddy-when-he-worked-on-sundays-instead-of-going-to-church/) [Yvonne S. Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-s-thornton/) > [“Such injunctions were burned into us, for Mommy felt strongly about proper behavior; about sitting with a straight back, knees together, legs crossed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-s-thornton/such-injunctions-were-burned-into-us-for-mommy-felt-strongly-about/) [Yvonne S. Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-s-thornton/) > [“Always enter a room with your head up. Right away that tells people you're your own person. If your head is down, that lets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-s-thornton/always-enter-a-room-with-your-head-up-right-away-that-tells-people/) [Yvonne S. Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-s-thornton/) > [“One morning Jeanette, bucking Daddy on some point, hit on the argument probably every child in the world has used against his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-s-thornton/one-morning-jeanette-bucking-daddy-on-some-point-hit-on-the-argument/) [Yvonne S. Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-s-thornton/) [Explore all 5 Yvonne S. Thornton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-s-thornton/) ## More Mommy quotes > [I love you mommy. 'I don't have any money, try your dad.' I love you daddy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-you-mommy-i-don-t-have-any-money-try-your-dad-i-love-you-daddy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-hall/if-mama-ain-t-happy-ain-t-nobody-happy/) [Ron Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-hall/) > [Your daddy is a wine, and your mommy's quite insane. From altar boy to sewer rat, you don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megadeth/your-daddy-is-a-wine-and-your-mommy-s-quite-insane-from-altar-boy-to/) [Megadeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megadeth/) > [She don't like me like she use to but fuck me like she still do mommy poppy love you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tee/she-don-t-like-me-like-she-use-to-but-fuck-me-like-she-still-do-mommy/) [Tee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tee/) > [When life gets hard and you feel like giving up, just remember you are never alone and you mean the world to someone. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-life-gets-hard-and-you-feel-like-giving-up-just-remember-you-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [I always wanted to be a mommy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-seymour/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-mommy/) [Stephanie Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-seymour/) > [“The Mommy Mystique tells us that we are the luckiest women in the world -- the freest, with the most choices, the broadest horizons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/the-mommy-mystique-tells-us-that-we-are-the-luckiest-women-in-the/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“P.J. had worked himself into a full-on rage that immediately subsided when she guided him to her breast. “Mommy has magic boobies, buddy. I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-force/p-j-had-worked-himself-into-a-full-on-rage-that-immediately-subsided/) [Marie Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-force/) > [Well, that’s just a little hard, since I can’t even talk her into sparing your life, huh? You haven’t exactly endeared yourself to her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/well-that-s-just-a-little-hard-since-i-can-t-even-talk-her-into/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“• I’m sick and all I want is for my mommy to come and take care of me. I’m forty-seven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-smokler/i-m-sick-and-all-i-want-is-for-my-mommy-to-come-and-take-care-of-me-i/) [Jill Smokler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-smokler/) > [The only tantrum I have ever thrown was when I watched an annoying girl doing a Barbie commercial on TV, and I screamed Mommy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-trachtenberg/the-only-tantrum-i-have-ever-thrown-was-when-i-watched-an-annoying/) [Michelle Trachtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-trachtenberg/) > [You helped me a lot when I needed you beside of me I love u from the bottom of my heart mommy ad I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eulalia-acevedomercado/you-helped-me-a-lot-when-i-needed-you-beside-of-me-i-love-u-from-the/) [Eulalia Acevedomercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eulalia-acevedomercado/) > [A half a million dollars worth of crack money. Wrap your parents up, now you got a black mommy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2-chainz/a-half-a-million-dollars-worth-of-crack-money-wrap-your-parents-up/) [2 Chainz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2-chainz/) [Browse all 300 Mommy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mommy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Curiously enough, though, it was Jeanette who came home one day with a C on a test. Prior to that, B was the lowest grade any of us had gotten, and even a B caused Mommy to shake her head and ask, 'Did anyone in the class get an A? Then you can get an A, too. You just have to study harder.' But this time she looked at the C on Jeanette's paper and said nothing. Wasn't she going to lay into Jeanette? Was Doc so special that she could get away with anything? The rest of us were stunned. I, for one, resolved that if that's the way it was going to be, I was darned if I was going to work so hard at studying from then on. Then Saturday came. Mommy roused Jeanette at 6:00 A.M., told her to dress in old clothes, and ordered her to the kitchen, where she handed Jeanette a bucket and scrub clothes. 'You and I are going to clean the kitchen from top to bottom,' Mommy announced. 'I'm going to teach you how to do it and do every bit of it right because that's what you're going to be doing for a living when you grow up'. Jeanette was outraged. 'I'm going to be a doctor'! 'Anybody who gets a C on a test is either too dumb or too lazy to be a doctor. You're going to end up working in somebody's kitchen, so you'd better know how to do it. Now, start by scouring the oven. And I want it spotless'.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yvonne S. 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