So many of us parent the way our parents did – because it’s the only example we’ve had a chance to see up close. We think one of the ways to remedy this is to create a space where people can share stories of the things they feel their parents did right, so we can all learn from those examples.

Janet Gilbert

My parents taught me the importance of working hard, treating others with respect, and to never give up. The values that they instilled in me have carried me a long way in business, my career, and even motherhood. They are givers at heart. My entire platform for Carrie J is surrounded around giving back and helping others. They always told my brothers and I that it’s okay to get tired but never give up. Because of them, I have learned to fight through any situation. Read more>>

Courtenay Puckett

If you are the parent of an “artistic” child, this is for you! My parents were my encouragement growing up, into college, and even now as an adult. Here are a handful of things they “did right” that set me on my way: 1. Words they spoke. Both my Mom and Dad were careful with their words not to tear down what I was interested in, but instead they recognized my interests and encouraged conversations to help me learn and grow. When I made something, oftentimes I was my worst critic. Read more>>

Heather Johnson

I recently lost both of my parents and if I could say they did anything right it was showing me how to treat people. They gave me a magnitude of lessons that will help me and that has helped me along my way. Learning to treat people right means that sometimes I’m wrong and that’s okay. I learned to meet people where they were and not have grand expectations of people because we all have our own issues and things we deal with from day to day. Read more>>

Rashad Ali Muhammad

Two significant things my parents did right that impacted my life and career were to focus on a positive mindset and the importance of personal development. I remember a quote from my mother to this day: “Stop the stinkin thinkin.” (She’s also where I get my penchant for rhyming lol). She focused a lot on thinking positively or at least not dwelling on negative things. As an adult, that has helped me focus on the things I can control and shift my outlook on situations that may be daunting. Read more>>

Niketa Stewart

I grew up in a single parent household. My mom was sole provider all the time. However I was the eldest of 3 and it came with responsibilities. I believe my mom made plenty of mistakes like most parents, but always did her best. She’s taught me the importance of sacrifice, determination, and always said you only fail when you stop trying. I’m extremely grateful for that lesson because even when business isn’t going how I want it too I can’t bring myself to quit! I know thats because of her. Read more>>

Willie Blue

Had it not been for my parents, I definitely would not be in the position I am in. Growing up, like many people, we did not have a lot. So we had a lot of rough times growing up, but my parents never let that stop us from reaching our goals. They instilled perseverance and determination in us, which helped us push through the hard times. Those same lessons helped me push through the hard times I faced starting my business. Read more>>

Kennedy Knight

Hi, I am Kennedy, the daughter of Laura and Forrest Moore. In my family of origin, I am the oldest child of two younger brothers and the only granddaughter on my father’s side of the family. Although my extended family was spread far and wide across the country, my siblings, parents, and I remained close and enjoyed celebrating the little things in life. Each holiday, birthday, good report card, or other exciting news was a cause for a party with our family. Read more>>

Nicole Williams

The main thing my parents did right was believe in me. From the moment I have said that I wanted to be an actress they have been on my team. I know they didn’t always understand my drive to take on this career choice, especially since I originally said I wanted to be an OB-GYN, but they have done everything they can to help me reach my goal. One of the first things they did to help train me was never letting me win when I was a kid, and I can tell you that frustrated me to no end. Read more>>

Blythe Bourne

My parents are the first ones who introduced me to the natural world. From a young age, they took my sister and I camping and hiking as we traveled all over the states. I believe the love and appreciation I have for nature, which grew from these first family adventures, is what really got me interested in working outdoors with plants and animals. Read more>>

Ulisses Gonsalves

My parents weren’t perfect. My father had anger issues, and my mother struggles to keep track of things. But a key factor they both had was they believed a person should always try to be a good-hearted person. Character. Character defined who a person was, and being someone of character would make a difference in this world. Read more>>

Kaylin Anderson

My parents did an exceptional job at guiding me to explore creative expression. They kept me busy in soul-fulfilling ways like dancing, tumbling, and artmaking. Exploring these forms of creative expression at an early age equipped me with essential skills I still carry and use today. Visual art and dance allowed me to build strong discernment, healthy confidence, and a sense of purpose. One day during ballet class, recruiters from the Tumbling Team entered and mentioned auditions for the team were happening. Read more>>

Robert Poe

My parents made sure to keep me busy after school. Even though I was always happy being by myself, they presented me with an extracurricular schedule that included horseback riding, gymnastics, trumbone, creative writing, piano and dance lessons. Both my parents would drive me to all of these engagements and wait for me to be done. My mother became involved with the board of directors of the dance studio where I practiced and my father took dance lessons when he was young from the very same man who taught me. Read more>>

Amanda Vezendy

I am so excited to be able to shine some spotlight on my parents because they certainly deserve it! My parents raised me with the belief that I could do or be anything I wanted as long as I put the work in. They made sure to help me explore all my interests whether it was art, science, sports or entreprenurship. My parents would let me try, inevitably fail, have a melt down and then encourage me with their grade A pep talks. Those talks got me through some really tough times where I thought I was surely ruined and that my dreams were over. Read more>>

Jenn Bostic

I have been blessed with incredible parents. They exposed my brother and me to the arts from a very young age. We attended concerts and musicals as a family, my dad was always bringing home instruments to experiment with, and we spent many evenings around the piano or dad’s guitar participating in family sing-a-longs. I began taking piano lessons around 6 years old and attended many musical theater camps. At age ten, my father was tragically killed in a car accident. Music, specifically songwriting, became my therapy. Read more>>

Keona Prokop

My parents were only married for less than a year. My mom raised me as a single mother most of my life. Due to the nature of being a single parent, she was very hands-off. The approach can sometimes backfire, but for me it allowed me to learn responsibility at a young age and have the freedom to become an independent person. My mother has never put expectations on my future. This allowed me to take an untraditional path in life and study entrepreneurship. In college, I started my first fashion business. Read more>>

Ray Duncan

Both my parents are prolific songwriters, so needless to say, music played a central role in our lives both in and out of the home. Long before I had any inkling that I myself might want to write songs for a living, I would be playing on the living room floor listening to my mom working out a bridge, or recording one of her ideas on a little handheld device. As a child I would often make up little songs and melodies on the piano, and later my parents would tell me that they had always figured I’d end up doing music in some capacity when I got older. Read more>>

Travis Tidwell

My parents fully loved me and showed me the love Jesus Christ has for me and the world. Without the lessons of Christ, there is no way that I could have gotten as blessed as I’ve been and protected along the way. My parents taught me humility, hard work, faith, persistence, and dedication. These are some of the key ingredients I truly believe to be necessary to accomplish your purpose. Read more>>

Phillip Hodge III

My Parents, Phillip Hodge Jr. and Rickenya Hodge, were and are essential to my story and who I am today. My Parents are the epitome of the Disciplinarian, get the mission done and do your absolute best, Parents. From an early age, they instilled values in me that carry to this day whether it is grinding for what I want in life or even my faith in God. I grew up in the church. It was always Church on Wednesday and Sundays. The Values of treating your neighbors the way you wanted to be treated and showing God’s Love through your actions is what I was taught heavily. Read more>>

Hery Paz

I grew up in a small town in Cuba and after the collapse of the Soviet Union we went into a recession that we can arguably say extends till today. Forget about tooth paste, toilet paper, soap, cooking oil, milk… etc just to name a few basic needs. My father who was a professional musician/painter took work at a friends farm to be able to get compensated in rice, beans and yuca so that we had something to eat at home. Despite the economic and social deterioration we lived in, my parents created a caring, supportive and nurturing environment where I was free to develop and pursuit my artistic curiosities. Read more>>

Nicole Lingham

I am relentlessly grateful for my mother allowing me to stumble in life (many times without a safety net). As a parent myself, it can be a difficult feat to watch your child(ren) struggle especially knowing you can solve their problem at any instant. Looking back now, I understand my mother was giving me so much more than instant and temporary gratification. She was giving me the tools to be resilient, innovative and persistent. These very same principles are the core foundation that drives my business forward every day. Read more>>

Soberichs

Growing up, my mom and dad were instrumental in my up-bringing. Seeing and hearing my mom sing around the house and in church introduced me to singing. When my mom would take me over my Grandma’s house or different places, my mom would always sing and she introduced to singing, melodies and harmonies; truly understanding the art of singing. Listening to Brian McKnight, Usher, Jon B, Tank, Tyrese, etc taught me a great deal about tone, depth, etc. So appreciate of my mom being so hands-on and instrumental in my music journey to where I am now. Read more>>

Jorgie Franks

The best thing my parents did was teach me how to sell. They introduced me to the best product. I mean not sure if it is really a product but it is more like a service. They introduced me to God and then I would go door to door, knocking on doors and trying to find someone who wanted a life change. Now I make a living promoting, marketing, selling, and serving which is a a lesson from my parents. They introduced me to God. Read more>>

Lex Barberio

My folks will say they’re not perfect parents but those who know them will tell you that they’re pretty close to it. I was a good kid but I think it was clear from a young age that I was different so I’m very lucky to have been raised by Bea and Ed Barberio. The most extraordinary thing my parents ever did for me was recognize, even in the early days, that little baby me had a fire for creating. That fire in children is fragile and requires guidance so together they stoked the flame in me and provided the right amount of structure and love that showed me how to be in control of my future and carry the torch that they preserved into my adulthood. Read more>>

Phaedra Janaye

My parents did right by instilling in me to keep God first in any and EVERYTHING, because without Him NOTHING is possible. That you don’t have to always read the Bible but prayer is key. “Don’t throw all your eggs into one batch”, said by dad, meaning to take your time and make the best decision. You always got to time to do what you want and what you need to do in order to be happy. Read more>>

Solaris

This was such a challenging yet beautiful question to think about because typically we all either have really bad stories to tell about our childhood or really great stories but we never get asked the specific question of what exactly our parents did right. I would have to say that although my parents didn’t stay married for long both of them raised me to be a free thinker. My father raised me to be creative and to have an artistic eye for everything and my mother raised me to be spiritually In tune with myself and the world around me. Read more>>

Melanie LeBlanc

I Come By It Honestly… Creativity is in my blood. I inherited this skill from both sides of my family; and it’s because of these strong genes I found myself fully immersed in the arts at a post=secondary level for a total of 9 years. Funny enough, I originally rebelled against the idea of becoming a studio jeweller because my entire childhood was spent in my parents jewellery store-especially holidays. It was only until the last 3 years of my art education when I decided to transform what I always felt was a family curse, into a career, and entered a jewellery and metals program in Ontario. Read more>>

Morris Smith

Growing up wasn’t the easiest. I have 2 other siblings. I did not have a father in the household so my mother played both roles. One of the key things my mother did right was provide structure in our lives. We didn’t have a lot but my mother made sure we had what we needed. I feel as though structure helped with my success and prepared me for life as an entrepreneur. I watched my mother work 3 jobs to make ends meet. She didn’t know it at the time but her hard work passed down to me. Read more>>

Sophia M. Johnson

What did my parents do right? First, let me start by saying I grew up in a single parent household however I didn’t know that this was considered a not so good thing. I knew who my father was and I never heard my mother speak ill of him (that’s the first thing I learned). She allowed me to draw my own conclusions concerning his and my relationship. Read more>>

Jordan & Jordan Laird & Urban

We grew up as next-door neighbors, with our moms acting more like sisters than neighbors a lot of the time. We often went back and forth to each others’ houses, doing things for and with each others’ families, and shared lots of laughs and tears together in Medina. Our moms’ bond became our bond, with Urban’s mom teaching us more about the mechanics behind music (how to play, sing, etc) and Laird’s mom giving her undying support. Read more>>

Melitza Spies

Growing up, my parents always made sure we knew the value of a dollar. For as long as I can remember, I would always help my parents, along with my younger brother. They’d tote us along to whatever they were doing and had us work in whatever business they had. Being young, we, of course, hated it, but little did we know that helping them would instill the work ethic I have now! My parents had their own careers but always had their own small businesses on the side. Read more>>

Kim Powers

My parents Scott and Jody Muka have paved the way for a belief in myself that I can excel in life. Every morning as a child before school, my dad would wake me up and encourage me to start the day. Before he left each morning for work, he would lovingly say “Bye Kimberly, I love you. Excel today.” I carry that message with me each day as I face challenges and continue to take steps forward towards enjoying life and embracing my purpose. Read more>>

Joseé Muldrew

The lessons that were instilled in me young have quite literally carried me to the place I am today. My parents did a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong, but I can say wholeheartedly that I always knew they were doing the best they could with what they had. My mom passed away from breast cancer when I was 10 years old and witnessing her journey changed my life forever. One of the things my mom did right, was never shielding my sister and I from the darkness and reality of life. Read more>>

Shanell Henry

I was raised by a single mother of two girls with low income, and I NEVER felt lack. We experienced much lack, but I never FELT it. My mother poured so much love into us, protected us and empowered us to content in who we were and instilled peace. I was the kid who wore the hand me downs from cousins. Shoe and coat vouchers in Winter. Read more>>

Lester Greene

My parents raised me well. My father served in the military, and my mother took care of us while working a 9-5 job. She worked at Madison Square Garden, and even though she battled with health issues, she always showed up to work. In my pursuit of making a living as an actor, I learned from my mother the importance of showing up. Read more>>

Kyra Summers

Both my parents instilled in me the value of hardwork and responsibility. My father has had his own business since I can remember and always worked hard to provide for our family of 7. Hearing stories of the people who worked for him and those he worked for showed me the importance of a job well done and the value it can bring to your company if you hire capable help and exceed your clients expectations. Read more>>

Jon Terwilliger

One of the things that keeps coming to mind when I hear this question is they have always supported me in my aspirations. Even before guitar became an opportunity for me to make a living, they still opened up doors for me to continually keep learning and growing in my craft! The other thing that I am forever thankful for, was that they realized the importance of instilling in me a good work ethic which I have benefitted from in my career a thousand times over! I could go on for the rest of this forum about my parents, and how thankful I am for them. Read more>>

Kiana Churchill

My entire life I’ve been in a family of hard workers. Dedicated to fulfilling a calling or following a dream, I learned what hard work was from a very young age and understood that it wasn’t always pretty or convenient. My parents had 3 young kids before they were in their mid-twenties, but without fail this never stopped them from digging themselves out of the trenches of poverty and creating a life for themselves to provide for our family. Read more>>

Alex Radin

Growing up my parents always made me feel like I could accomplish great things and they were very supportive of anything I showed interest in. They also taught me to put everything I had into whatever I was doing and not to cut corners. I remember as a kid wanting to go surfing with my friends but having yard work to finish. I was cutting some hedges lining our driveway and ready to run off but my dad asked me if I raked off the tops of the hedges. Read more>>

Demetri Arnaoutakis

I have two older brothers, George and Dean. The three of us were single-handedly raised by our mother Eleni, who spent 30 years as an elementary school teacher. She raised us to be very dedicated to our education. We were not allowed to go out and play outside or spend time with friends until we completed our homework. She encouraged us to get involved in team sports as well because she valued team work. Read more>>

KB

My parent definitely taught me how to stay motivated and work hard. Seeing my both my parents go to school . work a full time job, all while being full time parent to both me and my brother showed me that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to no matter what is going on. You put effort and give it 100 percent. Read more>>