Elif Batuman Quotes

My father wasn't really involved and my mom is the light in my life.

My mom was tough.

My parents were fantastic. I was an only child, so I had a lot of love and too much attention. I don't think I was spoilt. My mother was quite a disciplinarian, but I did have a lot of attention and quite a lot of pressure to do well at whatever I was doing.

There's an honesty in our family - my kids and I are able to talk about things without me putting the fear of God into them.

My mom is really tough.

My parents were very, very, very strict.

Growing up, there wasn't much emphasis on being nice or naughty. As a family, there wasn't much discipline. It was more relaxed at home, which I'm grateful for.

Being the 8th out of 10 kids, and being the one that stayed in trouble, I sort of became a momma's boy.

My father had a very violent temper, and he was never home. So I was kind of a mama's boy.

Whenever I would get in trouble with my dad, my mom would always save me. So that's why I like my mom - she cool.

My mom won't let anyone treat me like a little princess.

I'm a taskmaster. I was brought up that way, and I'm sure I imposed that on my kids.

My parents were truly severe.

My father was my trainer, my teacher. He was closer to my sister in the sense that she adored him and he adored her. He was more like my pal. Because of the 13-year gap, I think by the time I came along, it wasn't a big deal. I wasn't spoilt or cherished, I was just put to work.

My parents were very loving, but disciplinarians.

I was my mother's favorite, and she'd help me with everything.

My father was my god. His approval was so valuable to me.

My father was very intense, passionate and over-the-top. He was my hero and my tyrant.

I had a very strict upbringing with my dad and was very close to my mum, who was extremely loving.

I was brought up by my mother and my two sisters, although they're older than me and fled the nest very young, so I was technically raised as an only child, but I was very much loved.

My mom was definitely very strict with me.

People say, 'Oh, to be the daughter of Picasso!' But it's not as extravagant as it seems. He was very special, very vibrant, but he was my father. I didn't have another.

There will be no 'Mommie Dearest' in the lives of my children, and no books like the one the Crosby boy wrote about Bing, or Bette Davis's daughter has written. My children love me very much, and they are loved.

My mother was aggressive - the typical stage mother.

I think I was very lucky to have grown up with an artist's studio in the house. It was a kind of life that was possible. Yeah, it made it kind of harder because the standards were higher, but there was no pressure.