Adolescence is when children start trying to bring up their parents.

Richard Armour (1906–1989) was an American poet, professor, and humorist known for epigrammatic one-liners about everyday life, especially family and education. This quip belongs to the mid‑20th‑century tradition of domestic humor that treats adolescence as a social role reversal: the child, newly self-assured, begins to judge and “educate” the adults. Armour’s work often appeared in light-verse venues and popular humor collections, where such observations functioned as compact, shareable wisdom rather than as parts of sustained arguments. The line is typically quoted as a standalone aphorism about parent–teen dynamics rather than tied to a specific public speech or dated event.

The joke hinges on reversing the usual expectation that parents “bring up” children. Armour suggests that adolescence is the stage when young people, armed with new ideals and a growing sense of independence, begin to correct, critique, or morally instruct their parents. Beneath the humor is a recognizable psychological truth: teenagers test authority, renegotiate family hierarchies, and often adopt principled positions with a certainty that can feel like lecturing. The line also gently deflates adolescent self-importance while acknowledging that parents, too, are imperfect and sometimes in need of reflection. Its durability comes from capturing a universal family tension in a single, witty inversion.