Quotes: Motherhood (2)

Mothers and children 31 …"Lady Middleton had taken the wise precaution of bringing with her their eldest child, a fine little boy about six years old, by which means there was one subject always to be recurred to by the ladies in case of extremity, for they had to inquire his name and age, admire his beauty, and ask questions which his mother answered for him, while he hung about her and held down his head, to the great surprise of her ladyship, who wondered at his being so shy before company as he could make noise enough at home…took up to ten minutes to determine whether the boy were most like his father or mother, and in what particular he resembled either." Austen, Sense and Sensibility. Timeless.

Mothers and children 120 " …a fond mother…in pursuit of praise for her children, the most rapacious of human beings, is likewise the most credulous; her demands are exorbitant, but she will swallow anything; and the excessive affection and endurance of the Miss Steeles towards her offspring, were viewed therefore by Lady Middleton without the smallest surprise or distrust" Austen, Sense and Sensibility. Credulous worship of her children.

Mothers and children 121 “ 'And here is my sweet little Annamaria,' she added, tenderly caressing a little girl of three years old, who had not made a noise for the last two minutes; 'and she is always so gentle and quiet—never was there such a quiet little thing!' …unfortunately in bestowing these embraces, a pin in her ladyship’s headdress slightly scratching the child’s neck, produced from this pattern of gentleness such violent screams, as could hardly be outdone by any creature professedly noisy." Austen, Sense and Sensibility. Children are predictable. They always behave exactly as you don't want them to.

Mothers and sons 1314 "She [Theseus’s mother, Aethra] could not help being sorrowful at finding him already so impatient to begin his adventures in the world." “The Minotaur” Hawthorne, Tanglewood Tales. A boy's way.

Mothers and sons 1315 "But Aethra sighed and looked disquieted; for, no doubt, she began to be conscious that her son was no longer a child, and that in a little while hence, she must send him forth among the perils and troubles of the world." “The Minotaur” Hawthorne, Tanglewood Tales. The end of motherhood.