“Had I catalogued the downsides of parenthood, "son might turn out to be a killer" would never have turned up on the list. Rather, it might have looked something like this: 1. Hassle. 2. Less time just the two of us. (Try no time just the two of us.) 3. Other people. (PTA meetings. Ballet teachers. The kid's insufferable friends and their insufferable parents.) 4. Turning into a cow. (I was slight, and preferred to stay that way. My sister-in-law had developed bulging varicose veins in her legs during pregnancy that never retreated, and the prospect of calves branched in blue tree roots mortified me more than I could say. So I didn't say. I am vain, or once was, and one of my vanities was to feign that I was not.) 5. Unnatural altruism: being forced to make decisions in accordance with what was best for someone else. (I'm a pig.) 6. Curtailment of my traveling. (Note curtailment. Not conclusion.) 7. Dementing boredom. (I found small children brutally dull. I did, even at the outset, admit this to myself.) 8. Worthless social life. (I had never had a decent conversation with a friend's five-year-old in the room.) 9. Social demotion. (I was a respected entrepreneur. Once I had a toddler in tow, every man I knew--every woman, too, which is depressing--would take me less seriously.) 10. Paying the piper. (Parenthood repays a debt. But who wants to pay a debt she can escape? Apparently, the childless get away with something sneaky. Besides, what good is repaying a debt to the wrong party? Only the most warped mother would feel rewarded for her trouble by the fact that at last her daughter's life is hideous, too.)” ChildrenKidsParentingMotherhood Book:We Need To Talk About Kevin Source: We Need To Talk About Kevin
“Children live in the same world we do. To kid ourselves that we can shelter them from it isn't just naive it's a vanity.” WorldChildrenKidsVanityShelterNaive Book:We Need To Talk About Kevin Source: We Need To Talk About Kevin
“It's always the mother's fault, ain't it?" she said softly, collecting her coat. "That boy turn out bad cause his mama a drunk, or she a junkie. She let him run wild, she don't teach him right from wrong. She never home when he back from school. Nobody ever say his daddy a drunk, or his daddy not home after school. And nobody ever say they some kids just damned mean.” MeanSaidHomeRunningKidsSchoolMotherTurnsCausesBoysTeachFaultsDrunkCoatsDaddyCollectingMamaJunkieAfter School Author:Lionel Shriver
“Teachers were both blamed for everything that went wrong with kids and turned to for their every salvation. This dual role of scapegoat and savior was downright messianic but even Jesus was probably paid better.” KidsJesusRolesTeacherPaidSalvationSaviorScapegoat Book:We Need To Talk About Kevin Source: We Need To Talk About Kevin
“Everything people do that doesn’t work has to be somebody else’s fault. Next time you know, geezers’ll be suing the government for getting old and kids’ll be taking their mommies to court because they came out ugly.” PeopleKnowsGovernmentKidsNextCourtFaultsUglyNext TimeGetting OldSuing Author:Lionel Shriver
“I realize it's commonplace for parents to say to their child sternly, 'I love you, but I don't always like you.' But what kind of love is that? It seems to me that comes down to, 'I'm not oblivious to you - that is, you can still hurt my feelings - but I can't stand having you around.' Who wants to be loved like that? Given a choice, I might skip the deep blood tie and settle for being liked. I wonder if wouldn't have been more moved if my own mother had taken me in her arms and said, 'I like you.' I wonder if just enjoying your kid's company isn't more important.” IfsWantKindChildrenHas BeensSaidStillsI CanImportantFeelingsSeemsMightKidsMotherChoicesGivenParentEnjoyRealizingHurtMy OwnLove IsCompanyWonderTakenBloodLove YouLike YouArmsMovedSettlingTiesCommonplaceSkipKinds Of LoveObliviousI Like YouHurt My Feelings Book:We Need To Talk About Kevin Source: We Need To Talk About Kevin
