"I don't smack him around. I don't yell at him. And if he wants to go to the park in his pajamas, I don't care"
About this Quote
The specificity of “the park in his pajamas” is the punch. Pajamas are domestic, private, slightly “improper” in public - a soft symbol of how kids test the line between home and the world. By choosing that image, Krause signals that what’s really at stake isn’t clothing; it’s whose discomfort matters. The subtext: a child’s autonomy and comfort outweigh the parent’s anxiety about judgment.
As an actor speaking in a celebrity ecosystem where family life is routinely curated, the statement also reads as anti-spectacle. It rejects the idea that good parenting requires constant correction, perfect presentation, or a carefully managed narrative. There’s humility in the implied admission that kids are messy, moods are real, and control is often an adult’s addiction.
It works because it’s concrete and ungrandiose. Krause isn’t selling an ideology; he’s modeling a posture: less dominance, more tolerance, fewer power struggles disguised as “standards.” In a culture that rewards parents for looking in charge, “I don’t care” becomes the radical line.
Quote Details
| Topic | Father |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Krause, Peter. (2026, January 16). I don't smack him around. I don't yell at him. And if he wants to go to the park in his pajamas, I don't care. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-smack-him-around-i-dont-yell-at-him-and-if-105608/
Chicago Style
Krause, Peter. "I don't smack him around. I don't yell at him. And if he wants to go to the park in his pajamas, I don't care." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-smack-him-around-i-dont-yell-at-him-and-if-105608/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I don't smack him around. I don't yell at him. And if he wants to go to the park in his pajamas, I don't care." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-smack-him-around-i-dont-yell-at-him-and-if-105608/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.



