Critical Parenting Quotes

A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents.

Mama never told me, 'Bess, you did good.' She wanted the best for us and she was an incredible administrator. She ran those three kids, that house, the whole bit. But if I looked fine, she'd find something wrong - the color, the hem... I used to tell her, 'Mama, don't worry when you're not with me, because you're with me.'

My dad was a slightly stricter version of Richard Dawkins. The worldview was that there are idiots out there who believe in Santa Claus and fairies and magic and elves, and we're not joining that nonsense.

My dad was very critical and had very high expectations without a lot of the details filled in. It was, 'I expect you to achieve greatness in grades, in athletics, in whatever you do.'

I have the strength from my mother, the survivability. I have wonderful qualities from my mother - but please, Mother, forgive me - I heard judgment constantly about my father.

There were times when our dad was awesomely good with us, but my biggest and most abiding memory is that he would look more to our faults than to our strengths.

Parents can make us distrust ourselves. To them, we seem always to be works-in-progress.

My dad has always been very helpful with good advice, and he still helps me. I call him after every single game, and he is very critical, if I am honest with you.

My dad was more, "Let's play chess. Read a book, you're stupid." He's more the intellectual type.

Somewhere it is written that parents who are critical of other people's children and publicly admit they can do better are asking for it.