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.

Christine Das

I have my late parents to thank for who I have become,a Wildlife Artist because it is their encouragement since I started holding a pencil that brought me here. I had a fascination for pencils and doodling as a very very young child and what my parents did was to nurture that interest by providing me with the tools and at that time in the late 60’s & 70’s it was colouring books and coloured pencils! Oh I loved them so much and I had a stack of them throughout my growing years. I wasn’t the academic type and what I love & appreciate about my parents is that they never, not once, even though my mother was a teacher, they never put that kind of pressure on me to make the A’s or top of class. Instead they allowed me the freedom to become by giving me that space to grow and learn for myself that the decision is mine and mine alone to make. Read more>>

Dr. Sue Ojageer

My parents’ unwavering emphasis on the significance of education has been the bedrock of my life and career. They continuously stressed that education is an enduring asset that would accompany me throughout my life’s journey. This philosophy was deeply rooted in our family and profoundly influenced the person I have become. As immigrants from Guyana, South America, my parents and I made the journey to the United States when I was 5 years old in pursuit of a better life and brighter opportunities for our family. Amidst the transition and adaptation to a new culture, one thing remained constant: their unwavering commitment to education. Growing up in the culturally diverse landscape of Queens, New York, I was immersed in an environment where the pursuit of knowledge was held in the highest regard. Read more>>

Gina Starbuck

Since I’m in the business of ancestral healing, I see and help to integrate a lot of stories around what parents could have done differently or better. This question, “What did your parents do right”, really stands outs to me because it’s so important to try to see this side of things as much as possible. Not just in relation to our parents, but also in relationship to ourselves. In any case, this question really hit me because I immediately got this sense of pride… My parents didn’t do everything right, (none of us do) but they did manage to help me have space to express myself fully and often. They somehow raised this sensitive, fiery, creative spirit in a way that gave me permission to dance my dances, sing my songs and really play in the field of possibility. Read more>>

Bridgette Lee Martinez

My parents have always supported what I’ve wanted to do in life. I love to learn and try so many new trades and talents. My parents would always encourage my creativity and pursuit of new challenges early in life. They created a home where I could cook, try experiments, sing, dance, and put on performances. Even when I made the decision to pursue theater arts in college they supported it. To this day they have never missed a show. Read more>>

Benjamin & Timothy Yi

Our dad Alex started this business, and without him, we wouldn’t be here today. We asked him once how he survived as a film lab all these years, and his response was unassuming and humble. He said he was lucky, that it was all God’s blessing. Back when he was running the show as a one-man operation, he had just enough business each day to get by. Oftentimes it would be a really slow morning, and then in the afternoon a few customers would come drop off like ten rolls and save the day. In the early days, our dad depended on just a handful of loyal customers to really support his business and keep the lab afloat. Some of these early customers are still legacy customers to this day. Read more>>

Leslie Powell

First off, my parents are the absolute best. They gave us the freedom to try anything and make mistakes, so that we could find out what we were actually passionate about. We were all over the map. We took piano, guitar, violin, viola, saxophone, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, acting, singing, dancing, and did community service… whatever we had the desire to try, they let us. As long as we stuck to it long enough to give it a fair shot, we were OK to drop it if it wasn’t bringing us joy. Read more>>

Elena Westrop

Growing up I was fortunate enough to have 2 sets of parents who influenced and molded me into the person I am today. I give each of them credit for the values and beliefs, in which I was raised, and live my life. My father is one of the founders of the company for which I work. He is an immigrant from Nottingham, England, who was raised in a 600 square foot home, he shared with his parents and 2 siblings. He taught me that hard work, tenacity and perseverance are a must when accomplishing goals. Three of the most valuable pieces of advice he drilled into me are, (1) Never charge anything, you can’t pay for outright and (2) You are no better than anyone else in this world. (3) Everyone has value and purpose. Read more>>

Nikki Luu

Growing up, my grandma raised me. Although, she is not here with me today.. a lot of her is instilled in me. Everything she has taught me growing me impacted me in a huge way in my life and in my career. She always lived her life with pure happiness no matter what challenges that she was faced with. She raised me and my sister . I always thought that she was the strongest woman in my life and all along, she was raising me and my sister to be strong just like her. Read more>>

Kylee Levien

I have to give my parents all the credit for being amazing role models and living by example. They did a lot of things right but one that comes to mind is once I chose my acting career, they were my number one supporters from every audition to every red carpet! They also have always stressed how important it is for my siblings and I to support each other so we have always gone to every game, event and premiere of each others. I love that I have a built in cheering section! Read more>>

Cindy Aguilar

One of the biggest advantages I had is the unwavering support of both my parents. Growing up in an immigrant household, the values of hard work and seizing opportunities were ingrained in us. My parents always held high expectations for my brother and me—going to college and earning a degree were a given. Despite taking a different path, they believed in me. Introducing the idea of attending beauty school and starting my own business was daunting, as I feared disappointing my parents. My older brother, a first-generation graduate with degrees in criminology and psychology from UCI, set a certain expectation. Read more>>

Chastaine Kendrick

When I first dropped out of college after 2 years, I was working as a waitress and living with my parents off and on. I was getting the majority of my income through cash tips, and being 21 years old, I found infinite numbers of things to spend this money on, and frequently didn’t have enough to pay my bills. My Dad took it upon himself to pick me up from work everyday and stop at the bank so I could deposit that cash rather than spend it. It was this loving gesture that helped me to save money to buy a car and eventually go back to school. My mom was just there, always. She took care of me when I was sick, taught me to cook, and also taught me some fundamentals of art and composition. She was a talented painter herself. Read more>>

Elyse Sparkes

The older I get, the more I realize how my parents did so many things right! As mentors they modeled entrepreneurship, creative marketing, problem solving, providing valuable health services, and a dedicated work ethic in their business. They had open conversations and explained their process with me and my sister. My parents opened their own audiology practice, Sparkes Hearing Services, when I was about 10 years old. My dad included me in decorating the car with big ears for a local parade to build community and market their business. My mom explained that by cross-collaborating and seeing audiology patients at other clinics she could increase income and help more people. Read more>>

Yasara Gunawardena

My parents were supporters of the arts ever since I was young. My dad’s hobby was photography and he always encouraged that I take his camera in my hands and experience it. There was so much freedom in being able to explore and find out what I liked. My mother always said she wanted us to have jobs that fueled our passions, not jobs we resented. Because of that mentality, she was able to give me the security in knowing she would support the decision I had made. It was incredibly uncommon in our community for the arts to be encouraged — I have plenty of stories about aunties and uncles who couldn’t understand that one could actually support themselves as an artist. Read more>>

Sharif Carter

I am the youngest of three, so the first thing my parents did right was have me last! I was able to sit back and relax with a bag of popcorn and learn from my two older siblings. My parents embraced my creativity from a very young age. My mother enrolled me in a Montessori school which shaped my creative right-brain. Throughout grade school my parents poured out constant gratification and praise of my art projects, even the ones I knew were awful. My mother still has a failed clay pencil holder project in her office from my high school ceramics class. Every time I see it, it reminds me of her unwavering support. Read more>>

Olumide Akinlolu

My parents got two things absolutely right that have deeply impacted my life and career: authenticity and the power of education. They taught me to treat everyone with respect, regardless of their position, and this principle has shaped how I build relationships in my career. Their emphasis on education propelled me to pursue my dreams, even when the path was uncertain. I recall a vivid memory from my childhood where my parents invited their church member to our home for dinner. It didn’t matter who they were professionally, my parents treated them all with the same kindness. This lesson has stuck with me, guiding my interactions in my clothing business and podcast ventures. Read more>>

Lindsay Askins

My parents always told me I could be and do whatever I set my mind to. They always cheered me on in all of my endeavors growing up. It never crossed my mind to not start my own business. After all, my Father did the same and my Mother has kept it afloat for decades now. They taught me to believe in my intelligence and ability to apply myself and work hard to achieve my goals. Laziness was not an option in our household. They led by example too – always up early and taking responsibility for their lives and chasing their own dreams. They are both now in their 70s and not slowing down much ha. Read more>>

Keely Finucane

My parents did so many things right which had an impact on my career and how I carry myself throughout life. My two sisters and I were raised to be strong, independent women. From when we were young, we were taught how to treat people and all living things with kindness. I grew up surrounded by love. We were taught to stand up for what we believe in and embrace cultural differences. We were encouraged to follow our dreams, no matter how wild and farfetched they seemed to be. Read more>>

Xavier Rush

From a young age, my parents crafted an upbringing that balanced firm guidance with a deep emphasis on education. Their deliberate approach also encompassed a diverse exposure to life’s facets, including sports, music, instruments, education, and the intricacies of advanced mathematics. This multifaceted introduction was further enriched by the presence of my grandparents, who played a pivotal role in nurturing a competitive spirit within me—an unyielding drive to excel in every endeavor I undertook. Read more>>

Dana Coleman

Absolutely! One specific area that was incredibly impactful was in the realm of my schooling. I grew up in a homeschooling family, and was educated at home all the way from kindergarten through high school! I am incredibly thankful for my homeschooling experience for so many different reasons, but one of the biggest things I’m grateful for is the way that it prepared me for the business that I now run. Because I was educated from home, a few of my classes were able to be individually. tailored to my unique interests, allowing me to study things that I loved — hand lettering being one of them. (Don’t get me wrong, we still had to do all the normal math, science, history, etc. classes too! ;) ) Read more>>

Henna Havila

My parents are amazing, i really do appreciate having parents like mine and i look up to them in many areas. My parents separated when i was only 8 years old and back in the 90’s in Finland it wasn’t as common as it is in these days to come from ”a broken family”. I had good and safe childhood and even though my parents are like a night and day i feel like the way they both have affected on my and my siblings growth has been very well balanced and that’s why we have all became a decent human beings. My mom is a very good mother, she is warm and loving and she has offered all her children a home where was safe and good to grow up. She has tought me and my siblings to be responsible and to know difference between right and wrong. My dad instead has always been working hard so i think the fact that if i go for something i am very determinded and i wanna do it well comes from him and my dad is also really smart so i listen to him and i respect his opinions. Read more>>

LaKisha Malcom

Believed in me…… They never gave me crutches, they gave the tools so that I would never have to use a crutch. They prepared me for the worse in life, yet gave me the education to overcome any obstacles that would come. I am in a career where only 2% of my field is made of ethnic women… Because I believed in myself but more importantly because other people believed in me and NEVER let me stop or give up even when I wanted to.. Both of my parents are deceased. I’m an only child. I have never felt so alone after losing my parents. However everyday , through every tear and every stressful moment. I hear their voices and I know that I am smarter, braver and stronger than I will ever think I am. Read more>>

Andrea Webb

My Mom specifically showed me the value of finding time for fun in my life. She owner a business and worked really hard, but she always made sure that we had time to go on vacation as a family. I have her to thank for my love of Disneyland – she took my brother and I for the first time when I was five years old, and once yearly most years after that until I left the house. She loves Disneyland as much as the most intense Disney fans I know. Because of her, I have an deep nostalgia for it, and have given myself permission as an adult to continue enjoying it and sharing that joy with others who feel the same. Read more>>

Clara Berta

My parents were hard-working Hungarians with strong ethics in doing good work. They instilled this work ethic in me. I believe this has been foundational in my business. Because of them, I love to create the best paintings possible. I work hard to create stunning pieces that make a difference in my collectors’ lives and in the galleries that represent my work. Read more>>

Alex Duff

My parents were willing to listen and respect my passions even in a society that didn’t respect them. In my home village of Glin in Ireland, farming, bartending and other forms of manual labor were seen as realistic intentions. Writing or filmmaking was considered a hobby, a mindset my mother somewhat had. As a chef, she recognized the benefits of manual labor and business-based jobs. She initially attempted to get me invested in computer-related careers where I would have a schedule and set job. Enrolling me in computer programming classes, I realized that the work was interesting as a hobby but repetitive and stationary as a potential career. After an internship at a website creation studio, I realized working in an office was a job I couldn’t enjoy. Read more>>

Sachiko Moore

Growing up, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was born to into a family of professional musicians, which meant that my parents both turned their passions into their careers. My mom was a flute player and my dad played bassoon. I always knew that they would never force me into medical or law school like some parents do. In fact, they supported the idea of me becoming a professional dancer at one point! However, despite all this freedom, I struggled to choose a career path because I felt I wasn’t passionate enough about anything. At university I explored several different majors including computer science, East Asian studies, and ecology and evolutionary biology. While attending university I began to take acting and voice acting classes outside of school, and I discovered that I loved it! Read more>>

Phoenix Nicholson

My dad and Grandmother are very supportive of my acting career. My grandmother pays for my acting classes, and my dad helps me prepare for every audition I get. My dad is also the person who helps me prepare for every role I book, and he’s always on set with me, helping and offering encouragement and on set acting tips. ( my dad is also an actor and acting coach) Read more>>

Joe Zhang

I think it’s mostly my mom that led me to this artistic path. My mom is a housewife but also a artist from body to soul. I’ll have to say that I got all my artistic DNA from her ’cause my father only cares about alcohol and tobacco. She loves music, film, photography and artwork so I was influenced by her ever since I was a toddler. So I decided that I want to be a film director when I was a teenager. My mom bought me cameras, gave me money for movie magazines and supported me for the short films I was making. Read more>>

Rachel Idol

They taught me what hard work was and the value of a dollar. Things in life for me have never been easy. I have had to work hard to get to where I am. I have fell on my face more than once. What matters is will you stand back up and throw in the towel or will you say let’s try again. I don’t give up, not if it’s something I want. Read more>>