The Perfect Child Quotes
"No matter how many times I was questioned by the police, it never got easier."
"I wished I lived in a world where I didn’t know violence intimately."
"You couldn’t be on the other side of the law and not feel like a criminal. It was impossible."
"I wouldn’t let that fly. I’d ignore him until he apologized."
"I’m trying to stay as far away from that one as possible."
"What’s your day look like today? Two surgeries. Three consults."
"I wouldn’t have been able to give it to him even though he tried to be strong at all times for me."
"No matter how badly they treated them, kids loved their parents."
"I’d never seen a patient with such a strong support team."
"I couldn’t think of anyone who needed our help more."
"Good foster homes are the ones where they really care about the kids they take in."
"She never slept. Ya know how they always be saying babies sleep all the time? Not Janie."
"It’s going to take time, but think about it, Hannah—she’s still so young and has so much time to heal."
"The closer I got to saying yes, the further away my dreams of a baby went."
"I’m continually amazed at how much rage can come out of such a little girl."
"I wish you’d quit asking me that. We’re going to be fine."
"You ever looked in her eyes? Those eyes turn black as night."
"Janie clearly has some attachment issues, but they’re not with you."
"You’re not crazy. She’s deliberately avoiding anything and everything that has to do with you."
"It makes perfect sense that she hates her mother."
"She associates women with mothers, and unfortunately, you happen to be in that role."
"Children of trauma are experts at triangulation."
"I think we should start meeting at least twice a week, maybe even three times, for as long as we can."
"Your mommy is growing a baby in her stomach. Once the baby is big enough, it’s going to come out of her stomach and become part of our family."
"She’s afraid the baby is going to replace her."
"You’re almost there. The doctor is going to be here any minute."
"It’s too late for the drugs. I can feel the baby’s head in the canal. You’re going to have to push soon."
"I can’t do it. I’m too tired. It hurts so bad!"
"You can do it, honey. You can do it. I know you can. You’re strong,"
"Stop! Stop!" I shrieked. "I can’t do this. I can’t."
"Just relax. Take a deep breath," the nurse instructed. "Breathe. You’ve got to breathe."
"It’s burning. Something is burning." I wept from the pain.
"He’s perfect," I said over and over again as Christopher worked with the doctor to cut the umbilical cord like we’d planned.
"It’s not that she didn’t think she needed it but that she didn’t like the idea of having someone in the house with her; she said it would feel like she was under a microscope all the time."
"I’m going to drive around with him until he falls asleep."
"All I pictured were terrible things happening to you guys."
"That’s when I knew just how tired she was, because Hannah wasn’t a girl who cried easily."
"Did you apologize?" It wasn’t lost on me that I had asked Janie the same question after she’d hurt Hannah in some way.
"We aren’t committing to anything permanently. We can just do it now while everyone is adjusting."
"There’s nothing she hates more than feeling rejected."
"I’ve been thinking about it all day today. I googled tandem breastfeeding after she fell asleep tonight."
"We aren’t just having two children—we have two difficult and challenging children. Let’s just be honest: our job is harder than most."
"I feel really awful. Can you take my temperature?"
"I'd never apologize for caring about the people I work with."
"The connection between my mind and body was unplugged, severed."
"I fought against the fear that she never would."
"Every social worker knows it's broken, but it's the only one we have."
"Parts had folded into blackness, creating a void."
"We moved around each other like awkward roommates."