"My mother had always taught me to write about my feelings instead of sharing really personal things with others, so I spent many evenings writing in my diary, eating everything in the kitchen and waiting for Mr. Wrong to call"
About this Quote
The intent is classic Guisewite: take the “nice girl” training - be self-contained, be pleasant, don’t ask too much - and show how it curdles into isolation. “My mother had always taught me” lands like an inheritance you didn’t choose. Writing “about my feelings” sounds healthy until it’s framed as a substitute for “sharing really personal things with others.” The diary becomes a socially acceptable confessional, private enough to keep you “low maintenance,” lonely enough to keep you hungry.
Then she twists the knife with coping mechanisms that are both recognizable and indicting: “eating everything in the kitchen” as anesthesia, not indulgence. And “waiting for Mr. Wrong to call” is a perfect brand-name diagnosis: she’s self-aware, she’s already labeled the pattern, and she still can’t exit it. That’s the subtextual tragedy of romantic socialization - insight doesn’t automatically confer agency.
Context matters: Guisewite’s work chronicled the anxieties of a generation of women juggling romance, body image, and self-help culture, often while being told their needs were the problem. The line works because it’s a laugh that carries a quiet accusation: this isn’t just personal dysfunction; it’s training.
Quote Details
| Topic | Heartbreak |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Guisewite, Cathy. (2026, January 18). My mother had always taught me to write about my feelings instead of sharing really personal things with others, so I spent many evenings writing in my diary, eating everything in the kitchen and waiting for Mr. Wrong to call. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-mother-had-always-taught-me-to-write-about-my-5458/
Chicago Style
Guisewite, Cathy. "My mother had always taught me to write about my feelings instead of sharing really personal things with others, so I spent many evenings writing in my diary, eating everything in the kitchen and waiting for Mr. Wrong to call." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-mother-had-always-taught-me-to-write-about-my-5458/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"My mother had always taught me to write about my feelings instead of sharing really personal things with others, so I spent many evenings writing in my diary, eating everything in the kitchen and waiting for Mr. Wrong to call." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-mother-had-always-taught-me-to-write-about-my-5458/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
