Ellen Goodman Quotes about Children

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The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears.

The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears.

Ellen Goodman

Inspirational, Children, Struggle

We want our children to fit in and to stand out. We rarely address the conflict between these goals.

Ellen Goodman

Children, Goal, Excellence

Ellen Goodman (1990). “Making Sense”, Penguin Group USA

The average parent may, for example, plant an artist or fertilize a ballet dancer and end up with a certified public accountant. We cannot train children along chicken wire to make them grow in the right direction. Tying them to stakes is frowned upon, even in Massachusetts.

Ellen Goodman

Children, Artist, Average

Ellen Goodman (1986). “Close to Home”, Fawcett Books

If there's a single message passed down from each generation of American parents to their children, it is a two-word line: Better Yourself. And if there's a temple of self-betterment in each town, it is the local school. We have worshipped there for some time.

Ellen Goodman

Education, Children, School

Ellen Goodman (1983). “At Large”, Fawcett Books

The central paradox of motherhood is that while our children become the absolute center of our lives, they must also push us backout in the world.... But motherhood that can narrow our lives can also broaden them. It can make us focus intensely on the moment and invest heavily in the future.

Ellen Goodman

Children, Motherhood, Focus

I suppose we make kids the repository of our highest ideals because children are powerless. In that way we can have ideals and ignore them at the same time.

Ellen Goodman

Children, Kids, Way

Ellen Goodman (1983). “At Large”, Fawcett Books