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.

LaShanna Moore

I chuckled at this question. Parents are definitely not perfect; my dad use to always say that kids didn’t come with a blueprint. I can only imagine. However, there is quite a bit that my parents did right. They were opposite personalities and provided us with a great blend of when to speak up and when to keep silent. They taught me leadership but also the importance of demonstrating follow-ship and teamwork. My mother taught me how to communicate and my father challenged my vocabulary. I learned how to build a relationship with God and with people from these two. The impact they have had on the little girl me to the grown woman has been endless. I still reflect, ponder and adhere to much of what they taught me. For that I am eternally grateful. Read more>>

Tim Zittle

One of the things I’m most grateful for when it comes to the outside-the-classroom education my parents diligently provided for me was to instill in me an immigrant mindset. This included values like a hard work ethic, personal responsibility, ingenuity and resourcefulness. As a result and with their encouragement, I started my first business at 12 years old and have been building or growing businesses ever since. In this country with all the resources provided to us- there are no limits to what you can achieve- provided you are willing to do the work to make it happen. Read more>>

Tiffany Gonzalez

My parents worked hard to make sure we never went without, and I know now it was not easy for them. My father came from Cuba when he was in his 20’s on a raft and was here alone. He did not know the language or have any special career training. All he had was his two hands and his grit. The amount of courage it took to do this has always remained at the forefront of my mind when I think about the decisions I make today. My mother, a new york native, met my dad in Miami after her mom moved her here with not much to their name either. Read more>>

Nolan McKelvey

I was raised in an environment where I was expected to get involved and to pursue my interests. My parents were always willing to drive me to practices, games, lessons, and performances near or far from home. At one point I was performing in orchestra, jazz band, playing 80 games of hockey, 50 games of baseball, and competitive golf in the same year. My parents provided me with encouragement, equipment, and logistical support that was unreal looking back on it. Read more>>

Rae Broyles

I suppose I had little choice in the path my artistic life followed. I was born into a family of 6 generations of danish painters and musicians. My father was a student of Norman Rockwell and my mother was from Norway where her family crafted handmade fishing boats for the past few generations. My home was filled with music and art. Every day there was an element of literature, dance, painting, music or creativity involved in my upbringing. My mother would sew and knit while my father took us on many family vacations where he would sit and plein air paint for hours. Read more>>

Jason Washington

To start off, I would like to thank both of my parents for doing a great job with me. To put it in one simple sentence , I am who I am today because of them. My parents did right by keeping me busy, playing sports, going to church and also Staying on me daily. My mother and father have always been wonderful parents to me. They have worked hard to provide a stable foundation for my life and future. They have taught me invaluable life lessons about work, parenting , relationships, and life. My parents impacted my life by, influence with basic values, like religious values, and issues related to my future, like educational choices. Read more>>

Laurel Irvine

My father’s favorite line, aside from his rolodex of dad-jokes, is, “follow your passion and you will succeed.” Typically I brushed this statement off, until the time that I saw tears welling up in his eyes as he struggled to get the words out. That time was about five years ago, when I was terrified to tell him that I was no longer passionate about the film business, an industry he saw much success in as a 1st Assistant Director, and that I was ready jump ship to make my hobby in ocean conservation a career. With a film and communications degree, I knew I was in over my head as the right-hand of the organization Shark Allies. Read more>>

Bianca Beale

My parents are my biggest influencers in me becoming a business owner. My dad had started his company when I was a young girl, and I saw his struggles from the very beginning, and then the wins started after a lot of hard work on his part. My mom worked her banking job while he finished his MBA and started his business, and he would always say that if I ever wanted to feel free in my schedule, and make an unlimited amount of money, there was no way other than starting my own business. I started generating ideas for my business as a pre teen, selling cakes to neighbors, babysitting, and pretending to be a business owner in our home office. Read more>>

Mayra Joli

My parents together and individually gave the same opportunities to my sisters and me. They provided food, shelter, and religious-based education. They also let us know on no uncertain terms that we had the same opportunities but that the outcome and the advantage we take of the opportunities given are all up to each one of us. We all became successful mothers, wives, professionals, and upright citizens. My father’s principle? “courage against fear.” My mother’s motto? “I was not born for seed.” It took me many years to understand, but I applied what they did right. They were never afraid. Read more>>

Michelle Booth

I was raised into a Family with a strong work ethic. In my Family you have to work or contribute in some way. I’ve always had a job, even in high school. My parents separated when I was very young. They remained friends after. I admired the fact that they interacted with respect and care towards each other. I was lucky with my Parents. They were wonderful people. They always believed in me. The amount of stories I have about how they impacted my life and career in positive ways are endless. I owe my success to them. Read more>>

Shanna Bradford LME, MA, CR

My parents were old souls always very supportive of anything that I wanted to do in my career and business journey. My father always would say to me. You can do or have anything that you want in life just don’t listen to other people’s negative thoughts on your dreams. He would say some people’s brains are the size of a peaut shell, to get a good laugh out of me. The most memoriable story was my first car. Which was given to me by a family member and wasn’t in the best running condition but I was grateful to have my first set of wheels. One of the things that the car was missing was AC and in South Florida you need AC in the car like ice in water! Read more>>

Michaelle De La Torre

Growing up with a single mother who’s Asian, from a third-world country, and born in the ’40s. My mother has stopped at nothing to remind me of her struggles, her upcoming, and her goals for me. Not to mention, I was constantly being compared to my brother, someone who was already in college with an employer ready to start him off at six figures. At a young age, I’ve constantly pressured myself to not only be better than my brother but also to prove people wrong. There’s a bad stigma that Mexicans only have kids and nothing else. As a bi-racial child, I needed to prove those who thought that wrong! If anything, they riled me up, and that’s honestly all the motivation you need. Read more>>

Zohra Mavani

There’s no one correct answer to the question “what did your parents do right”. There’s not one tip or one piece of advice – it’s an overall concept that I believe my parents got right. As a young girl, I remember my parents keeping me well grounded. They explained to me on a regular basis the importance of respect, integrity, hard work, and self-preservation is. My parents gave me all the tools necessary to succeed but did not just hand them to me. They made me work for it – not because they wanted to make things tough – but because they wanted me to learn what being independent is. Read more>>

Natalie Sager

I am incredibly fortunate. I have incredibly supportive parents who have always encouraged me to follow my dreams and to never give up. They encourage me to pursue my passions, explore life’s possibilities, and constantly educate myself. My dad used to say that everything can be taken away from you: money, house, clothes, material items, etc, but no one cane ever take away your education. I remember him telling me that as a child and it has always stuck with me. He would say you are never too old to learn something new! I think often of those words and remind myself that if I am unhappy, bored or simply complacent with life, do something about it. Take action. Read more>>

Bonnie Houpt

My parents always support me and my creative endeavors. They would sing along to songs I made up and let me try and quit drum lessons as a kid. In middle school and through high school and undergrad, they supported my interests in band and percussion, supporting me not only financially but by showing up and cheering me on at different musical events as well. When I wanted to major in music, they never questioned it, and similar when I started my own business, they continued their support. They are also my biggest fans on Rhythmic Roots Music Services’ s social media. Read more>>

Brittany Barclay

My parents are a huge part in my life. I even live next door to them. I’ve always had two loving parents that were there no matter what. They encourage me to achieve goals and are always there to help in any way they can. My dad is in construction and I would go to work with him and help at his various jobs. I knew what a work ethic was watching him. He always told me “If you’re doing a job regardless of it’s size, do it to the best of your ability or don’t do it at all.” He would nitpick things that no one else would notice but he noticed and it needed to be fixed. He would never turn over a job unless it was 110% perfect. He taught me that doing good honest work is all there is to do. Read more>>

Keshia Prince

My parents are truly a blessing. They taught me about love, having a passion for something, the value of hard work, and how to be a decent human being. Growing up, with five other siblings, I never felt like I lacked anything. My parents did a great job in nurturing my interests, even when they had to work extra hard to make it happen for us. Being able to explore my interests as a child, gave me the confidence to pursue all of my other goals, including my career. It also gave me the confidence to move around the country to reach those goals. Read more>>

Dejerae Trujillo

I think the best thing my mom did for me was establishing my independence at such a young age. We didn’t have a ton of money so she allowed me to do small things to earn money before I was old enough to work like selling candy in school. She also introduced me to a program to teach teens about health and safety that allowed me to earn money. I think that jump-started my entrepreneurial and sales spirit – from selling candy door to door to selling homes. Read more>>

Lorraine Barker

My parents have always emphasized the importance of education and professional stability with how they raised me. However, knowing I wanted to be a fashion designer from an early age was a curveball thrown at them on raising me towards a traditional field of work. I think many parents of creatives may worry about their children being successful and stable in their adulthood, and constantly may remind their children “don’t quit your day job”. When it came to mine and my parents’ diverse ideas of career aspirations, they knew they could not sway my will or stop me from doing what I wanted. Read more>>

Andrew Draper

Growing up, my parents prepared me for life by being true. As I look around and experience the world with friends and peers, I find that it’s not difficult to notice the alternate reality people seem to desire to create for themselves. I get it, nobody desires misery, right? However, I feel the abundance of people making decisions in life by using emotion over truth is alarming. I can recall several experiences from my childhood that rocked me, and brought me back to earth. I was told “no” by my parents for what feels like my entire life. Read more>>

Bianca Green

I will say what my parents did right which significantly impacted my life and career was that whatever I chose to pursue was always completed supported. I was fortunate enough to be able to try out several creative fields, being drawing, playing an instrument, learning another language, etc. while growing up and truly finding out my niche. One story I can think of is of a time when I believed that creative fields were not for me and I was proven wrong by my parents and myself. When I was a sophomore in high school, I never had the best relationship with my art teacher. Because this class was a more advanced version of art class, I was held to a different standard. Read more>>

Jessica Harden`

I would say that my parents encouraging me to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ during my adolescent age was the most essential element they taught me; having HIM as my foundation and being rooted in his promises and teachings allow me to be who I am and guides me in my everyday life. Read more>>

Adisa Ziric

Both me and Francesco have wonderful parents that instilled in us great values. Something that really stands out especially when it comes to our business are the values of hospitality, respect others and appreciation of real food. For our private dinners, cooking classes, pop-up events, and team building experiences, we like to support our local food system and San Diego micro farms, getting the freshest beyond organic produce, what we call real food. We are always amazed at how many individuals are not aware of the amazing food our local farmers grow and the great quality of real food we have in our city. Read more>>

Tanya J Miller

Well, they did a lot right – both of them. My Mama so much so that I wrote a book and journal called: Things My Mama Said. I talk about everything from taking responsibility for your actions or recognizing that sometimes other people’s needs are greater than your own. I do this via 20 tales that ultimately challenge me to be a better, wiser, and stronger person; that I hope someone learns the same. There’s stories like shopping at the mall or watching television in the den, that my mother makes sure us kids think for themselves and understand that in life there are no shortcuts, handouts, or excuses. Read more>>

Dion McInnis

Love me. Not a day in my life did I ever feel unloved. Looking back, I see how that has inspired everything that I do and every role that I’ve had, personally and professionally. My view of life, of the people in it and of my creative outlets are influenced by the positives that come with feeling loved. I believe that safety and perspective is what has driven me to photograph beauty in the world, to share stories that inspire and to encourage others to see beauty. Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Read more>>

Naeemah Ford Goldson

I come from a big family. I’m the fifth of eight children, and to say our home was chaotic growing up is an understatement! The thing my parents taught us as children that has resonated with me my entire life is to know I can do anything, and I can be whatever I wanted to be. They instilled a level of confidence in me that could be difficult to find as an adult. Whenever I had ideas I wanted to execute, they’ve supported me wholeheartedly and sometimes even offer advice on how to make the idea even better. Because of this confidence, I go into everything without the fear of failure. Even if I do fail at things, which all of us do, I have enough belief in myself to get back up and try again… if that doesn’t work, I find another route to get to where I want to be. Read more>>

Jan Downey

Like most parents, mine didn’t always get everything right! However, the one area they excelled at had an impact on my life, and certainly on my art. As appreciators of the creative process, my parents did not restrict my tendency to experiment, even to the point of making messes and creating chaos. They willingly gave over a “workspace”–our large, chrome edged, formica kitchen table–to my energetic operations, regardless of any apparent outcome. My experimenting ranged far, often involving my dad’s soldering iron, or the clothes iron, as I ironed out wax applied to a batik project. Read more>>

Dr. Rand Certain

MY PARENTS PROVIDED PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS FROM EARLY ON WITH A COUPLE WHO TAUGHT ME AND INSTILLED IN ME MUSIC KNOWLEDGE, PASSION TO TEACH AND BECOMING SELF-EMPLOYED AND MAKING A WONDERFUL LIVING AND PROVIDING FOR MY FAMILY. Read more>>

Jose Cruz

My mother and father, over many years, were consistent hard-workers, good workers. They did what they did out of love for their children. They never missed work unless they had to. To them, it was unacceptable to miss a day of work. It was unacceptable to take a break or to put out an inferior product. To this day, I can hear my mother stirring her coffee in the morning, maybe in meditation for what this day of pressing shirts, would bring to her. She and my father worked quietly. They worked conscientiously. And they were grateful for the jobs that they had. Read more>>

Terrie Watch

My parents, Dot & Phil Ponder, made it a priority that my siblings and I learn primarily through experiences. We attended Catholic schools that included strong art and music programs, we never missed an outing with our respective Scout troops, and our home was filled with open-ended materials which we were encouraged to explore on a daily basis. One of my most fond childhood memories was of the pretend “store” that we had set up in our garage. My mom would save all of our empty food containers (reusing and recycling before it was cool) and allow us to design and stock our store over and over again. Read more>>

Erica Wollerman

As a therapist and parenting “expert,” I tend to reflect A LOT on parenting. Both the parenting I received as a child and the parenting I am working to offer my own son. One of the things that I am most grateful for when I reflect on my childhood is how much my parents allowed me to make my own decisions as well as how much they seemed to have faith in me. Even when I struggled, I truly knew that they thought I could do things even when I was not sure I could. After college, I moved to France to be an au pair for a year and traveled mostly alone during that time on my breaks. Read more>>

Randall Koch

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that everything my parents did, good and bad, can be used to positively impact my life and career. The positively influence my parents gave me was a good work ethic. They consistently showed examples of working hard. They both showed me how to commit to a goal and stick with it. My father was career Army for 20 years before retiring. My mom currently works for the same company that she started with back in the mid 80’s. My father set a great example to own and operate my own business later on in life by doing the same when I was a child. Read more>>

Jennifer Adams

Wow! This is a question that I’ve found myself reflecting on a lot lately. My husband and I are in the process of becoming “empty nesters” and for some reason…and we help them launch into their adulthood…we ask ourselves, Why are we successful? And of course we are no where near perfect. But because we are happy and have found so much peace and joy in our own lives we do ask ourselves a lot of questions like: What did we do well? How did we fail? And I personally find myself really focused on my own parents and their roll in my business success. As I truly hone in on this question my bottom line truthful answer is: They believed in me! Read more>>

Michael Wong

People are always floored when I tell them that I spent more time in the principal’s office than in the classroom. Through much of elementary and all of middle school, I would routinely get kicked out of class. I was suspended for two weeks in 7th grade for lighting fireworks in shop/woodworking class. Many of my friends’ parents didn’t want me to hang out with their kids. To them, I was that long-haired, denim-wearing, defiant metalhead punk. I wasn’t bad, just a bit rebellious and profoundly understimulated by school. I was actually a great student. I was in the 99th percentile in the tests that show how “intelligent” you are and was even in the “gifted” program. Read more>>

Yelena Hertzberg

I’ll never forget when my parents sat me down and gently broke the news that we were moving to the US. At the time, I was nine years old and we were living in the former USSR. It felt like my world as I knew it was ending and the unknown of what lies ahead was paralyzing and terrifying. They explained to me that they were doing this for me and my sister. For our future. To give us a better life. A life of endless opportunities and freedom. They sacrificed everything, leaving their elderly parents and families behind, knowing that most likely they will never see them again. That amazing example of sacrifice and leap of faith really stuck with me and serves as a daily guide when I’m faced with life’s difficulties, challenges, and decisions and choices I make for my family. Read more>>

Eva Ritvo

Both of my parents are child psychiatrists so from a very young age I was exposed to many issues regarding mental and physical health. My father was an early investigator into the causes and treatments for Autism. He had a tremendous passion for his work which inspired me to go to medical school. Read more>>

Matt Drumm

The biggest thing my parents did right was to teach me the overarching lesson; Never Give Up. They didn’t mind if I failed at something as long as I didn’t quit at it. What I learned is that my desire to achieve a goal has to exceed the desire to stay inside my comfort zone. This lesson from my parents has had a positive impact on my entire life, from education, military service, a career in law enforcement and now as a counselor in our community. Each one of these was challenging in different ways, but the message instilled went a long ways toward my success no matter the circumstance. Read more>>

Allison Erdeljac

Growing up, I always had a strong support system around me. My parents separated when I was young, and my brothers and I spent our formative years living in Midlothian, VA with our Dad, amazing step-mom and step siblings. We were a large, blended family, and it was great! I watched my step-mom run a nail salon out of our home. We always had customers at the house, who quickly became lifelong friends. It was during this time that I thought this was something that I wanted to do, provide people with a service, make them smile and go above and beyond taking care of them. Read more>>