An open wooden box holds a pink knitted sock, with pale flowers and a key on a ribbon beside it.

Original artwork, not a still

Of Parents and Children

Francis Bacon

The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears: they cannot utter the one, nor will they utter the other.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Parents keep their happiness, their sorrow and their worry mostly private. According to this observation, they can't fully put the joys into words and won't voice the griefs and fears. Feeling deeply and saying little go hand in hand.

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