Quotessence
Home / Books / All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure

All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure

Book by Kenneth Keniston · 3 quotes · Children, Parent, Economic

Filter quotes by topic

AllChildrenParentEconomicFactsNeedsSocialAmerican FamilyGenerationsHomeImportantInstitutionsMadePoorRolesSelfStandardsTodayWayWorldAbility

All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure Quotes

“Confronted with the unhappy facts of exclusion, we sometimes reassure ourselves by telling stories: the poor boys who made it, theblacks who became a "credit to their race," the women elected to high office, the handicapped who made "useful contributions" to our society.... Just as we believe in the self-sufficient family, we also believe that any child with enough grit and ability can escape poverty and make a rewarding life. But these stories and beliefs clearly reflect the exceptions.”

BelieveChildrenMadeSelfSometimesEnoughFactsStoriesBeliefAbilityPoorRaceBoysPovertyOfficeCreditUnhappyMade ItSufficientContributionExceptionOur SocietyGritExclusionTelling StoriesSelf SufficientHandicappedPoor Boy
Book:All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure
Create image

“It is misleading to discuss recent changes in family life without emphasizing the fact that for generations some Americans have had to raise children under particularly appalling pressures. Although much of what is worrying American parents is shared by them all, the most grievous problems are those that especially afflict a large minority--the poor, the nonwhite and, in various ways, the parents of handicapped children.”

WayChildrenFactsProblemParentPoorWorryGenerationsPressureRaisesVariousMinoritiesFamily LifeMisleadHandicapped
Book:All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure
Create image

“Poor children live in a particularly dangerous world--an urban world of broken stair railings, of busy streets serving as playgrounds, of lead paint, rats and rat poisons, or a rural world where families do not enjoy the minimal levels of public health accepted as standard for nearly a century. Whether in city or country, this is a world where cavities go unfilled and ear infections threatening permanent deafness go untreated. It is world where even a small child learns to be ashamed of the way he or she lives.”

WorldWayChildrenCountryEnjoyPoorLevelsCitiesStreetsCenturyDangerousBrokenStandardsEarsPaintBusyAcceptedPermanentPoisonAshamedServingUrbanRatsThreateningStairsPublic HealthInfectionPlaygroundsSmall ChildDeafnessDangerous WorldPoor Children
Book:All Our Children: The American Family Under Pressure
Create image