Parents teach us many things including how to be a parent. We can learn from their mistakes, sure, but we can also learn a lot from the things they got right. We asked successful entrepreneurs and creatives to open up to us about their parents and what they felt their parents got right.

Saif Mahdi

I lost my dad the first week I came to the united states and the bad situation in my country prevent me to back and attending his funeral, and I didn’t see my mom for 7 years. Even though every word, or sentence, that I agreed or not with them helps me in the late stage of my life. Read more>>

Lil Scorpio King

The #1 thing that my parents did right was never give up on me & made sure I didn’t have to be in the streets . Even know we struggled ect my grandmother who passed away made sure To stay on my ass lol even know I was being hard headed and choose to sometimes put one of my hands on that stove . Luckily it didn’t take me long enough to feel that fire , which made me be more appreciated for my family in general . Read more>>

Misterman Cheers

My Mother (I love you) always told me, “you’re a star.” Before I even had any creative aspirations she would say that I’m a star. This has had tremendous impact on my confidence and self esteem. Even when I was a novice, I would tell people I was the greatest because deep within myself I believed it. I love you, Mommy. Read more>>

Karen Marie Jenkins

My parents have been deceased for some time now but they taught me so much while they were alive. I think the most basic thing that stands out is their zest for living life, which involved balancing a strong work ethic while enjoying the fruits of their labor and the importance of not resting on your laurels but pivoting to maintain a balanced life. Read more>>

Danielle Melanie Bunch Ernestina

First, I think it’s important to note that Danielle and I have had different parental experiences when it comes to being in a household that had creative children. This anecdote is to highlight a moment for me, Melanie. I remember the time I was about to be signed to Page Parks, a talent agency here in Texas at their local Houston office, and one of the things they told me to be prepared for was my travel to Austin or sometimes to LA for auditions and opportunities. Read more>>

Jaclyn Pline

I’m so happy you asked this and what an excellent question it is! Life for me was interesting growing up as my father was sick with cancer and kidney disease most of my childhood. My mother was particularily strict on me when it came to school; making sure my studies were complete, I was passing my tests and getting help through tuturong when I needed it. Read more>>

Wilson Kimble

My parents instilled Christian principles of life in my siblings and me. My mother made sure to we had a strong Christian foundation in everything we did. Our parents encouraged us to be our individual selves and leaders . They made sure we gave 100% to every goal we wanted to achieve. This impacted how I approached life obstacles and goals. Read more>>

Noah Marion

Truthfully I didn’t realize how much my parents did for us until after I made my way to college. I think that it’s hard to really see the forest for the trees when you’re in the midst of the forest, if that metaphor makes any sense…But when I got to university I realized that my parents had decided years ago to uproot us from our beloved neighborhood, the one where I ended up starting my first store in fact, and take us to a ‘better school district’. Read more>>

Sarah Zamora

My parents set the bar pretty high in my eyes. Though we were never rich, my parents made sure we never went without. My father put himself through school while working multiple jobs just to make sure he could give our family a good life—& he did. I always admired how selfless he was when it came to providing. Read more>>

KAYLA THOMPKINS

My parents kept my eyes open. Growing up, my parents did a great job exposing us to community and travel. Traveling to various cities, cruises, or attending events in our community created a well-rounded environment. As my sister and I grew up, we were able to respect different cultures and build awareness that people live differently than we do. This also snowballs into having empathy, open perspectives, and inspiration. Read more>>

Frankie Rivera

I would say what my parents did right was raising me on love and encouraging me to always express myself. When I was a little kid, I loved to draw fashion designs and also play dress up. As a little boy, I was never really into playing sports like the others or into more of the “manly” activities. Read more>>

Sanborn Phillips

Wow I can say they raised me with values and integrity to become a man out here in this world and to stand for something. Most of to have respect for myself and others Read more>>

Prince Nasir Akim Bey

My dad taught me and my siblings how to play chess when we were kids. He was always teaching us the importance of thinking for ourselves and applying critical thinking skills to do so. Read more>>

Krista Powers

My parents are two of my favorite people. I’ve heard many others say this too! Growing up, my parents prioritized time together. Once a year they carved out a weekend to getaway and simply be together. Since they committed to this early in the years of children, they lined up a dear family friend to move into the house and spend the weekend with my older sister and me. This friend was a Franciscan nun who exuded joy. Read more>>

Korynn Wakefield

My parents gave me NOTHING for free! It sounds harsh, but it wasn’t that bad. I had to earn things, I had to work, I had to prove myself. I had to grind, figure things out, think on my own, do research. Most importantly, I got to figure things out and experience things for myself. Which are the same things I’m doing now. The same tools I used to get where I am and the same tools I use to keep going on my most challenging day. Read more>>

Kynita J Amey-Martin

Growing up I was lucky enough to be raised by a mother and a father. Many people aren’t so lucky. As long as I can remember, my parents have always been there for me. When I was younger, I was a daddy’s girl. My mom and I were always at it. During my high school years, I was a mess. I felt the need to not listen to my mother. Read more>>

Lyssa Lovejoy

Every family has their “ thing” we had our struggles and triumphs. My parents story directly affected how they raised 11 children. The very best thing other than instilling a strong faith, was teaching us/giving us the encouragement to find what our gifts were and allowing it to manifest within us. Mine was art & innovation. Read more>>

Monique Barashango

I was raised by a group of strong, resilient , community minded women ( all were educators and led by example) who reinforced the importance for me to give back to others with consistency. At a very young age, I was taught the joy of volunteerism on a consistent basis by assisting them with reading to young school age children during read-a-thon/book drives, collecting and distributing toys to youth for the holidays, helping to serve meals to those in need or simply doing errands for friends or family recovering from illness, experiencing grief or other difficult circumstances. Read more>>

Adrian & Shyan Singh

First, I would like to begin by showing gratitude towards my parents as they purchased the real estate course for Adrian and I when we turned 18. It was a birthday gift for the both of us with the intent to do real estate on the side while focusing on our studies at University. It was a blessing in disguise as we did not realize how a simple real estate license would soon turn into our greatest passion. Read more>>

 John David Berdahl

Hey! The father that I do have did so much right! Oh my gosh! Hahaha! Oh mys gosh! Gosh! He did shower me with affection and with attention and with acceptance and love! He did! He did! He did! And he still does do so on the podcast series on which the two of us do work for our local PBS station, Davey Bee’s Hit Song Vault! Yes! Yes! Yes! More than anything else though, or above all else, right, the dad that I did grow up with did instill me with a sort of drive and a type determination and certainty that does appear to be pretty uncommon these days, like, it is a discipline or it is a commitment to excellence and to respecting others and yourself that I do have that does not seem to be a commonplace or a routine, or an average, average, average kind of thing or quality y’know! Read more>>

Shea Salisbury

When I think about what my parents did right that has impacted my life and creative career, I think of my mom. I’m not sure if she realized this or not but I learned that the hope of creating beauty is the way to persevere through pain. I can think of times in my childhood that were definitely rough behind the scenes that I don’t think I really knew about and on any given day during that time, I would come home from school and my mom would either be playing intricate piano scores or repainting the entire home, or cooking an elaborate meal from scratch. She was always creating something and inviting me into that. Read more>>

Kacie Sturman

My mom has founded two companies of her own, Affair with Flair (a special event company) and Lotus Network (a women’s non-profit organization). Growing up, I would watch her work in between making breakfast and carpool drop-offs. She made it look easy although it was anything but that. Read more>>

Lourdes (Lou”) Alers”

When it comes to what my parents did right, I have to give all the credit to my amazing mother. She has always been such a strong role model in my life, capable of truly anything, even in the toughest of times – and there have been many, yet she manages to come out stronger every time. Read more>>

Maria Medel

They were always very encouraging of me to try any sport or extracurricular I had an interest in. I remember trying at least one season of what seems like EVERYTHING. I played t-ball, soccer, tennis, basketball; tried tumbling, Read more>>