“We have a mental health system that is dominated by political and hidden forces that keep us stagnated and unable to see real, lasting change.”
“If we re to be judged by our parents and grandparents, then we all may as well impale ourselves upon bits of rock.”
“Even though we knew she was going to die eventually, when it happened it was still a terrible, rude shock. I thought I was prepared, but when it happened I fell apart. That s when I realized I d been hanging on to the hope, however slim, that as long as she was alive she might somehow get better.”
“Clutching me in her arms, Mama stared at Emily. “You have a responsibility to this child.”
“As I would soon learn myself, cleaning up what a parent leaves behind stirs up dust, both literal and metaphorical. It dredges up memories. You feel like you’re a kid again, poking around in your parents’ closet, only this time there’s no chance of getting in trouble, so you don’t have to be so sure that everything gets put back exactly where it was before you did your poking around. Still, you hope to find something, or maybe you fear finding something, that will completely change your conception of the parent you thought you knew.”
“That first pregnancy is a long sea journey to a country where you don t know the language, where land is in sight for such a long time that after a while it s just the horizon - and then one day birds wheel over that dark shape and it s suddenly close, and all you can do is hope like hell that you ve had the right shots. ”
“His father was self-made, but his mother was constructed by others, and such edifices are notoriously fragile.”
“In view of this and other things, I demand forgiveness for being so obviously impressed with my own parents.”
“There’s no winning arguments with your parents, so why get all pumped up over them? It is way better to dive down and get out of the way than it is to get clobbered by some parental tidal wave.”
“I respect you as my king, and I respect you as my father, but I do not respect you as a man!”
“Ultimately, what really matters is not just the experiences you have at a young age, but whether or not you are equipped-by your parents, by your genetics, by your education-to survive and deal with them.”
“I met this boy here who I knew as a kid and his mum left him with a pedophile for two weeks when he was eight years old and I m presuming you know everything there is to know about Jonah s father, and that my father is dead, and my mother hasn t been around for years, and God knows Jessa s real story. So what I m saying here, Sergeant, is that we re just a tad low on the reliable adult quota so you have no right to be all self-righteous about what Chaz did and if you re going to go around not talking to him when his only crime was wanting me to have what he has, then I think you re going to turn out to be a bit of a dud and you know something? I m just a bit over life s little disappointments right now. Do you understand what I m saying?”
“Flawed Human Parents + Shit Life Throws At You = Childhood That Builds Character.”
“If I had received good instruction as a child I would be with my family today and at peace with my neighbors. I hope and pray that all you parents in the sound of my voice will train up your children in the way they should go.”
“Parents should also question much of the contemporary emphasis on special materials and equipment for learning in a child s environment. A clutter of toys can be more confusing than satisfying to a child. On the other hand, natural situations, with opportunieties to explore, seldom overstimulate or trouble a small child. Furthermore, most children will find greater satisfaction and demonsstrate greater learning from things they make and do with their parents or other people than from elaborate toys or learning materials. And there is no substitute for solitude - in the sandpile, mud puddle, or play area - for a yound child to work out his own fantasies. Yet this privilege is often denied in our anxiety to institutionalize children.”
“The problem was that I d never worn a bikini before. My dad doesn t allow them. He thinks even one-pieces show too much skin and constantly suggests that Jane and I wear wet suits.”
“Mr. Lisbon knew his parental and neighborly duty entailed putting the retainer in a Ziploc bag, calling the Kriegers, and telling them their expensive orthodontal device was in safe keeping. Acts like theses -- simple, humane, conscientious, forgiving -- held life together. Only a few days earlier he would have been able to perform them. But now he took the retainer and dropped it in the toiler. He pressed the handle. The retainer, jostled int he surge, disappeared down the porcelain throat, and, when waters abated, floated triumphantly, mockingly, out, Mr. Lisbon waited for the tank to refill and flushed again, but the same thing happened. The replica of the boy s mouth clung to the white slope.”