How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Kramer vs. Kramer.
Quote #7
TED: My wife, my ex-wife, says that she loves Billy, and I believe she does, but I don't think that's the issue here. If I understand it correctly, what means the most here is what's best for our son, what's best for Billy.
Kramer vs. Kramer suggests that parenting changes you. Ted starts the film not knowing where his family keeps the bowls or what grade his own son is in. By the end, he has one focus: doing what's best for his family, which in this case, is his kid.
Quote #8
TED: You know, I've had a lot of time to think about what is it that makes somebody a good parent. You know, it has to do with constancy; it has to do with patience. It has to do with listening to him. It has to do with pretending to listen to him when you can't even listen anymore. It has to do with love, like she was saying, and I don't know where it's written that says that a woman has a corner on that market, that a man has any less of those emotions than a woman does.
Now it's Ted's turn to give a speech that sums up the main ideas and questions of the film.
Quote #9
TED: Billy has a home with me. I've made it the best I could. It's not perfect. I'm not a perfect parent. Sometimes, I don't have enough patience—I forget that he's a little kid—but I'm there. I get up in the morning, and then we eat breakfast, and he talks to me, and then we go to school. And then at night, we have dinner together, and we talk then, and I read to him. And we built a life together, and we love each other. If you destroy that, it may be irreparable. Joanna, don't do that, please. Don't do it twice to him.
Here's Ted with the film's message about parenting: You have to show up. Every day. Doesn't matter if you're sick or tired or bored; you show up because, ultimately, it's not about you.