How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
Quote #7
BIG RUSS: Quit? I thought he was cut.
MAE: He was afraid to tell you he quit.
Although Little Russ claims to have been cut from the football team at first, the truth is that he quit. That's notable by itself, but what's even more notable is that he's so scared to admit that to his father.
Quote #8
BIG RUSS: I didn't force him to join the team.
MAE: I know. But you always make a big deal out of sports.
BIG RUSS: Because sports build character. No, they don't. They build muscle.
Once he learns that Little Russ quit the football team, Big Russ is forced to take a long, hard look at how he's been treating his eldest son. That doesn't mean he realizes the error of his ways immediately—far from it—but this represents the first step in the healing process.
Quote #9
RON: They're never going to find us. We were right under their noses and they didn't even see us.
Ron is talking about being literally too small for his parents to notice him, of course, but we think this is a perfect encapsulation of the relationship between parents and their children in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.