Today we’d like to take a moment to applaud the parents who despite many challenges, did they best they could and did right by their kids. We asked folks to share stories of what they feel their parents got right and have shared highlights below.

Canessa Thomas

My parents instilled many values, ethics, and principles that I’ve found to be priceless throughout my growth as a woman and entrepreneur. But, what has helped me most in life and business is the perseverance they instilled and the honoring of my commitments. My siblings and I were not allowed to quit or back out of commitments we made as kids. If we signed up for a class, we had to finish that class, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable we found it to be. And we were expected to do our best. If that meant extra work and/or extra help, then that’s what was done. Quitting wasn’t an option, and sloppy or incomplete work was not acceptable. Read more>>

Chanelle T. Molina

There were an incredible amount of lessons and experiences that my parents, Bobby and Rosee, packed into the amount of time we had together. They really allowed for a lot of independence at a young age, that maybe I didn’t love as a child/teenager, but now as a adult, I can appreciate. They didn’t hover because they didn’t need to. I would have considered myself a latch-key kid, most days after school were spent at the local library until they could pick me up. I learned how to be considerate (shhh–it’s a library), how to treat people with respect (Librarians are angels on earth), who I could trust (I’m still friends with a lot of my after-school library buddies), and my parents instilled all of that in me– to look out for others, as well as yourself. Read more>>

Bruce Maltzman

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote after my mom passed away. The life lessons that I learned from my mother are the reason for any success I have had in my life. And I would like to share them. The first lesson is the importance of family love. Through good times and bad times there was always unconditional love, unconditional support (despite some of my questionable decisions along the way). When I left home for my first teaching job, my mom cried. The tears would be for all the day to day sharing that would be missed when I left Jersey City for the far corner of the universe-that would be Toms River-an hour away. Read more>>

Raldgine Beauvais

One thing that my parents executed very well was developing compassion for others within me. My parents are always ready to help, take care, or bless anyone, no matter who they are. This transcended into my life work, as I have obtained two public health degrees, in order to bring resources to the less fortunate. Beauvais Magazine is about being a voice for the voiceless, and providing healthy, holistic, inclusive, and accessible resources to the public. Read more>>

Keaton Jones

My Mom (Jill) and my Father (Gary) are not what you would call your “average parents”. They are very loving individuals in their own essence, but together they are an extraordinary power duo, and I am blessed to say the least, to call them my Family. They always taught me to be respectful in every situation, no matter the circumstance. My Mother taught me to be determined and raised me to have no quit in me, while staying kind and respectful in public. Read more>>

 Sylvie Silva

I come from an immigrant family. They were very busy with work, often working 12-16 hour shifts in the psychiatric hospital. Even though they were physically and mentally exhausted, they always found a moment to play with us and give us warmth and praise. Additionally, they would often take us to do community service acts, such as feeding the homeless or picking up trash from the park. They instilled a deep sense that we are all one family and no one is better or worse than anyone else. We are all relatives and we should treat each other as such, with action and compassion. Read more>>

Maria de los Angeles Horigome

My parents are passionate about music and had a huge collection of CDs. My Dad was a club owner in Melbourne in the 70s and gave me the influence of Aussie Rock. My mother is multilingual, who gave me a love of the diversification of language and expression. I’ve used Japanese in my songs and published one in Spanish to cover my base languages. My Dad taught me to be a word nerd. His love of English and etymology, influences my songwriting entirely. Read more>>

Alexandra Ingram

My parents heavily influenced my life and career over the years, which I am forever grateful for. I was blessed to have a mixture between my dad who was about hard work, building from the ground up, professionalism, solving problems, business, and being resourceful. My mom exudes compassion, empathy, connecting to the intangibles in people, an effective listener, and focusing on the bigger picture in life. As a child, I did not fully understand this balance in my parents and how each individual shows up differently in this world. We all bring value to this world and to the people in our community. I have learned to go after what God has for me, operate in my purpose, and stay true to myself because of my parents. Read more>>

Carson Hay

The biggest thing my parents did right was to instill a true love for music. Music was a big part of my everyday life as child. Starting at a young age learning to play piano, my mom would drive home the concept of discipline. She would stress the importance of dedicated time each and everyday to perfect my craft. Once I became older and wanted to stop with professional training in piano, she wanted me to fill that time with learning another instrument. I was always pushed to expand my horizons with music. Read more>>

Ifakemi Comeaux

I would like to thank my parents and my family for raising me into the woman i am today. I am a go-getter, I am determined and always motivated to want to do more and provide more and i get that from my family. My family has always been very giving and caring people, you know that Southern hospitality but it’s way more than that. My family has help mold me into a beautiful woman that loves to give and provide knowledge or advice to others. They have taught me to be forgiving and grateful just by seeing how they carried themselves in every situation. Read more>>

LOKRE (none)

I feel like amongst immigrant families this story is especially rare, but as soon as I showed an inclination towards the arts as a child my parents showed me unconditional support. They nurtured that dream and taught me how to be confident enough to sustain it. I specifically remember my mom teaching me the value of positive language as a kid. When I would say “If I make it in the music industry when I grow up…” my mom would immediately make me rephrase the sentence to, “WHEN I make it in the music industry.” Read more>>

Suzanne Villella

I won’t lie. I was a rebellious teenager and a handful. My parents raised me and my four siblings with high expectations for faith, work ethic, kindness and dedication. Although I didn’t appreciate these characteristics when I was young, I have ingrained these into who I am today, making me a better spouse, dedicated to my creative and volunteer work, and a mom who is instilling those same values to my children. Read more>>

Raffi Umanzor

My parents showed me the importance of taking chances and risks for yourself and for the ones you love. My parents are Salvadoran immigrants who immigrated to New York during the Salvadoran Civil War. They faced many obstacles that I myself haven’t had to experience, however, I know I absorb some of their tenacity and grit because it’s gotten me to where I am today. Read more>>

Danielle T

One of the many things my mother did right was instilling that ‘go for all your dreams and goals’ gene. My mother, who is one of my best friends, always made sure to allow me to be me. She worried ALOT but always trusted me to make the best decisions for myself and taught me how to listen to my heart (as well as my head). Read more>>

 Graval Baehr

I believe the best thing my parents did was let me figure things out on my own and find my own personality. Also their support for me is unmatched. When we grow up, i feel like we are scared to really be who we want out of fear for disappointing our parents. My parents always have been supportive of my creative dreams. Although they might not fully understand, they still show love and support. That means the world to me and allows me to comfortably follow my dreams knowing that my family has my back. Read more>>

Natasha Mahtani

Wow, this isn’t something I’ve thought about much but it’s such a great question. My parents are my biggest cheerleaders and there’s 3 things they’ve taught me that have really sat with me. 1) Question everything, don’t simply follow what society, people or the media tell you. Have a curious mind and be open to seeing things from different perspectives. 2) Follow your dreams and do what makes you happy. Life is for living, we’re here on earth for such a short time, make sure it’s a happy time. 3) You can do anything you set your mind to. Read more>>

Anna Kleman

“What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?” That question takes me back to countless moments in my life when my parents’ unwavering support and belief in me shaped the person I am today. Their guidance and resilience in standing by my side have left an indelible mark on my journey. Read more>>

Jackie Fang

I give my mother the full credit for making me who I am today. She has always been a great role model to me. She is very independent and intelligent, especially emotionally. She worked as a judge for 20 years and she always loved what she did. She was never somebody that would tell me if something is difficult or unachievable, she allows me to explore on my own, but would watch me from afar. If I hit a wall and get hurt, she would always be there to comfort me. Then she would say something like “Maybe now you know, it’s probably the best not to go that way again”. Read more>>

Mengchen Sun

When reflecting on what my parents did right, I often express to my friends that the most fortunate aspect of my entire life has been having them as my parents. They played a pivotal role in initiating my relationship with sound. My mother, a talented singer, and my father, who used to play the guitar, instilled a deep appreciation for music in me from a young age. My mother, recognizing the positive influence of music on child development, from cassettes to CDs, she brought music to my life. She even shared that she intentionally played music during her pregnancy. Read more>>

Christian Leone

What my parents did right was instill in me a hunger and desire for learning and knowledge. From as early as I can remember my parents set me up for excellence. Whether it was my mom reading to me, playing BrainQuest, or giving other educational games to my dad forcing me to memorize my time tables up to 12x (I still know them all) education was at the forefront. Their dedication to my development shows up in so many ways, and the music is just another testament. The most limiting and sad thing you can be in this world is an uninformed individual. We have so many options at our disposal to invoke thought and change. Do the world a favor and tap in, just like my parents made me do. Read more>>

Heena Kapoor

In our household, spirituality played a central role, and my parents’ approach to incorporating spiritual values has profoundly influenced my life and career. They instilled a sense of balance, compassion, and purpose that continues to guide me. Here are a few aspects that stand out: Read more>>

Katharine Witt

My parents are truly the best. They are the reason I am the woman & business owner I am today. In 2016 my mom left our hometown & followed her lifelong dream of working on Mackinac. My dad retired early to follow her & help her achieve this dream. Seeing the risk they took to do this & how it turned out so successful for them was truly inspiring. It taught me that it’s never too late, or too risky to follow your dreams. They also taught me the importance of hard work & incredible customer service. Read more>>

Natalie Phee

My parents gave me all the confidence in the world growing up and at 26, they are still my biggest cheerleaders. I have had a fun career so far beginning with teaching 3rd grade to working in sales the last few years. Anything I’ve ever been interested in, they’ve said, “You can do anything you set your mind to.” When I wanted to start my Western Instagram as a creative outlet and side hustle, they said, “You’ll inspire people with your confidence.” Read more>>

Ke’uan May

What did my parents do right? They shown me the real world at an early age. In terms of more bad than good, I don’t say this in vengeful tone towards my parents. But my early birth at their young age was a world we were all not prepared for. Like elders say “babies raising babies”, I can say I kinda of grew up with my my parents. A divided house never made it easy but I never asked for a helping hand. In all, I’d say that we should all look at what are parents failed to do right, in the end it helps us to never show repetition of the same cycle as we become their age. Read more>>

Dan Warner

After many odd jobs, and what was seemingly no sense of direction, they sat me down, and finally asked me what I wanted to do for a living. I was afraid to tell them that I wanted to be a comedian and an actor, but I figured, what the hell, they’re probably going to yell at me anyway, so it doesn’t really matter, and so I just told them. And my father looked at me and to my complete shock said the kindest thing any father could ever say… He said “well if that’s what you wanna do, what are you doing about it?“ I didn’t know what to say, and told him I didn’t know, and he told me I better get off my ass and make a plan if that’s what I really want to do. They were completely and totally supportive of my dreams of becoming an actor and comedian, and supported me in every way. I got pretty goddamn lucky. Read more>>

Stephanie Han

My parents, even though they didn’t understand my wish to be a creative person, instilled into me a very strong work ethic, which has served me well in all my endeavors. Being punctual and concerned about doing a good job are qualities that every industry values–creative or not. Read more>>

Jason Baker

My mom always said she wanted to give me a better childhood and life than what she had. My parents didn’t have a lot growing up and they intentionally chose to make personal sacrifices in order to give me more than they had. Read more>>

Steven Mays

They instilled wisdom in me/introduce me to God. Allowed me to find my path as my own man. They are consistent in my life. Spoiled with true love and wisdom instead of material things. Showed me to actual value people and understand them. Instilled me with secureness /confidence/integrity. Punished me when I deserved it but allowed me to redeem with true forgiveness and correct my wrongs Read more>>

Dhayana Alejandrina

My parents have done countless things for which I am eternally grateful. It’s difficult to pinpoint just one, but as I reflect on my childhood and the conversations they had with me to ensure I understood and valued myself, one of the things they excelled at was creating a safe space for me to be myself. You might wonder, what does that mean? It means that my parents were always honest with me about the world, both its light and darkness. They welcomed my curiosity and individual perspectives as a means to help me understand my voice and thought process. Read more>>

Extriara Gates

Anchors are said to be ideal for safety and stability and one of tne many blessings I had growing up was the privilege of having anchors in the form of parents. Let me be clear my parents were not perfect people, they were much too young to be parents but did their absolute best to provide stability for my siblings and I. One of the perks and sometimes downsides of having young parents is that you learn to be independent at a very young age. My mom has been known to say that as a kid I never asked for permission to do anything, I simply made a decision and politely informed her later. Read more>>