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.

Gracelyn Lee

Growing up, my parents were very intentional in the way they raised my brothers and me. They made the choice to home school us so that they could help us invest in our futures the best way they knew how. As a creative, having time and space to simply create significantly affected where I would go in life. Of course, we did all the typical school subjects, but for me, being able to devote those extra hours each day to painting, reading, and especially photography brought me to where I am today. Read more>>

Emily Cabrera

My parents taught me dedication and hard work. My mom has always been the most hardworking stay at home mom whom I’ve always looked up too. I have always admired how she did everything she did for her own 4 children, while creating side hustles for herself. I acknowledged how important it is for a child to have a parent at home for guidance. Watching and appreciating that from my mom, I realized I wanted to be that source of guidance, nurture and love to kids of my own. Read more>>

Maddison Ogden

When I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up my response was always “I want to be a rockstar!” Getting older it was always that same answer and I was never met with a suggestion to try something else and my parents always supported me in my passion. They raised me listening to a wide variety of music but I didn’t always love it. We would listen to ABBA during spring cleaning, classic rock in the car, and hip hop in the basement with dad while he worked. I, like most teen girls, went through a Justin Bieber obsession and was more interested in whatever song was on billboards hot 100! Read more>>

Daniella Morrow

My parents showed me constant support and love throughout my entire life. They always made me feel as though my voice, ideas and dreams mattered. They were great at listening to me as a young child and that, I feel is one of the most valuable and encouraging things a parent can do for their child. The amount of wisdom they gave back was equally as important and they always gave me the room to make mistakes. My father would always say “don’t make the same mistakes I did, make new ones!” and my mother would always let me know how proud of me she was, even til this day. Read more>>

Lesley Reece

My older brother and I were raised by my mother in a single-parent household and there are a few things that stand out for me that she did right in raising us: 1. She taught us how to be content with what we have, while working hard and saving towards what we wanted. As I said, she was a single parent, so we didn’t live lavishly, but all of our needs were met and I also never felt as though I was “missing out”. If there was something that I wanted, I either saved my allowance until I could afford it myself, or I came up with ways to make extra money; that could be washing cars in the neighbourhood, or helping my grandmother with the produce she used to grow and sell. I consider myself to be quite a determined and hardworking individual, my friends often joke that once I say I’m going to do something, I definitely will, and that spirit for sure came from the examples that my mother showed to me.  Read more>>

Tesni Phillips

I honestly won the lottery with my parents, and my business would not exist today if it weren’t for 29 years of their love, support, encouragement, understanding. As I’m an artist myself, people often assume I come from a family of painters, sculptors, art teachers, and so on. On paper, this couldn’t be further from the truth. My parents met while attending the University of Cardiff (Wales, UK), where my dad completed a Bachelor’s degree in Physics followed by an MBA and my mum completed a Bachelor’s degree in Physiology followed by a PhD in Neurochemistry. For two of the smartest “science-brained” people I know to have a daughter who loved nothing more than arts & crafts and felt practically allergic to math and science subjects in school is quite poetic! Read more>>

Jim Fong

My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 when my sister and I were toddlers. In the early years, they worked at various restaurants, moving frequently. In 1985, my dad took a big step and opened his own restaurant in Idaho. One vivid memory I have is my sister and me helping translate documents for our parents. This task seemed endless at times, but it taught us valuable skills like reading comprehension, research, and problem-solving. We were also involved in the family business from a young age, often working after school and on weekends, even during elementary school. Though it was tough, they paid us by depositing a few hundred dollars a month into savings accounts to fund our future college education. Read more>>

Wayne Horvitz

I am hard pressed to have an actual specific anecdote, but both my parents, and my father in particular, always made it clear that satisfaction in life had a lot to do with loving your work. My father actually briefly wanted to be a musician, but he soon found his way to a career in labor relations, and like myself he was often a contract working, self employed as it were. In his field he was called a “consultant”. After he passed, I related that feeling in my speech at his memorial. I had learned the value of three essential to have a full life. Family, friends and work, in no particular order. Read more>>

Don Bell

My parents gave me a camera for Christmas when I was about 7 years into a blossoming broadcast journalism career. At the time, I was fresh out of a longterm relationship and struggling to find my footing. Mom said she wanted to see me use my time more creatively and get back to shooting photography. They saw the potential in me that I couldn’t see. As it turns out, that was the single most significant moment of my practice. On that day, I renewed my vows to the craft and I’ve walked hand in hand with photography ever since. Read more>>

Nachi De Los Santos

I was blessed with wonderful parents. My parents emigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in search of better opportunities. They instilled in my sister, Damaris and me the importance of self-confidence and the belief that we can achieve anything. Despite growing up in poverty, my father, who was orphaned at the age of 5, refused to let his circumstances define him. He pursued education in Germany and later became an engineer in the United States. My mother came from a large, close-knit family that always supported each other. With their help, she attended vocational school and became a bookkeeper. They both emphasized the value of life experiences over material possessions when raising my sister and me. I fondly remember my father taking us out for lunch at the Waldorf Astoria because he thought having lunch with “fancy” people would be fun. I smile about it every time I think of that day. Read more>>

Josh Smith

I love talking about my parents, they are an example of what it is to bet on yourself. Two thing comes to mind immediately. First, my mom was willing to be unconventional. At 27, divorced, with two kids she pursued a life she wanted. She met my pops, moved me and my brother to the Philadelphia area, and got married. It may be the one decision that I can without question changed the trajectory of my life. Read more>>

Sage Sam

Thanks to my parents, I have been homeschooled my whole life, which really let me explore so many passions and hobbies. I’ve experienced everything from breakdancing to fencing to coding. However, from my first guitar lesson, I knew this was something that I should stick with. Once I found something I liked, my parents let me follow my passion and dreams. My parents have always been supportive of letting me commit 100% to my musical journey and pushed me towards what I was meant to do. Read more>>

Laavanya Hunt

I’m incredibly fortunate to have grown up with loving and supportive parents in a household filled with love. But they never treated me like a friend until after college—they were strict and held me to high standards. They could be tough when my grades were low but always encouraging when I did well. This put a lot of pressure on me to work hard and constantly improve. Read more>>

Jessie Xu

As someone who wasn’t born in the U.S. but studied and started my art career here, my experience has been quite unique. I was born and raised in China, where the culture and aesthetics are very different from those in the U.S. If I hadn’t studied overseas, I would have missed a lot in broadening my perspective and seeing the bigger picture. This cultural exchange has been incredibly meaningful for both my art and my personal growth. But I wasn’t “aware” enough when the decision to live abroad was made—it was my parents. Read more>>

Jeassel Rosario

My parents haven’t always had it easy with me. I was a pretty calm child growing up, honor roll in school and following rules at home. All this was great but as a teenager I did become a mom. This news wasn’t easy for my parents but I will say this one thing my parents did correctly was raise a strong, GOD fearing women. I was always taught that no matter how many times I fall I get back up and continue having faith in the Lord. I think the morals my parents installed in me have made such a huge impact in the women and mother I am today. I was raised to work hard, respect everyone regardless of age,race or culture. To treat everyone with love and when I see a need in another and I can help, then help. I was raised learning that to succeed in life you have to work hard nothing is ever handed to you. I truly thank my parents for teaching me such things. Read more>>

Grace Ruesewald

My grandparents adopted me and took me in. They both served as police officers. My grandpa was the constable of tarrent county and chief of police. They both had huge hearts and always took care of other people. They gave everything they had to everyone else. For me, they set the example of love. I learned how to serve others through them. I learned how to treat people right. The world can already be cruel and difficult, But love and kindness goes a long way. Read more>>

Caitlin O’neill

Growing up, most schools pushed the girls to play with dolls and in the play kitchen, and the boys were given matchbox cars and blocks. My parents never forced my sister and I to stick to the gender norms and were very supportive of our creative interests. They also fully supported my interest in all movies, tv shows and other things sci-fi and fantasy, all of which led me down my engineer and author career paths. Read more>>

Samantha Nicoletti

There are many things my parents do right, but the thing that has made the most impact on my life and career is the unconditional emotional and mental support they continue to provide. Right after expressing my interest in becoming a professional artist my parents met with my high school art instructor, also a professional artist, to gather more insight into the field. Despite their concerns with potential financial struggles pursuing a career in the arts, they encouraged me to pursue my dreams head-on and haven’t stopped. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their unconditional love and moral support.  Read more>>

Kathleen Rupff

As a teenager, I was excited to attend beautiful St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a small liberal arts college, in the fall of 1982. However, after the first month I was homesick, thought I’d made a big mistake and wanted to come home. I remember sitting on the bed of a floormate who had a phone in her room, scared to have this difficult conversation with my parents. I was sure they would be furious and disappointed. However, they supported my decision! Knowing I had their support either way, helped me let go of my fears, and I never gave leaving another thought. College went on to be one of the best experiences of my life! In hindsight, I was simply overwhelmed by all the changes and needed support and time to process my feelings – something I still need today! Read more>>

Jacobi Roberts

My parents were always very supportive of my creative nature from a very young age. I think having a grandmother who was a painter helped with the idea that I was following a similar path. The only rule to being an artist was not being allowed to attend an art school. When I was younger, I didn’t understand the reasoning and was very resentful. I was accepted into the Mississippi School of the Arts for 11th and 12th grade, however, my parents declined the opportunity. I then focused on creating college portfolios at a regular high school to obtain college credit. Graduating high school, I had multiple scholarships for various colleges and credits towards a degree focused in painting. Once again, my parents declined those opportunities. Read more>>

Maithili Chaturvedi

The first time I was cognisant of having created an image that was valuable was when I was 4 years old. It was a Sunday morning and my mother was sitting in our home temple in a yellow chiffon saree, her hands rolling string beads as she prayed. I remember pulling out a sketchbook and my new tri-coloured triangle pencil and I began drawing her form as I saw it in the morning light. I looked at the beads and her intricate necklaces and felt myself imitating those patterns. The drawing was pretty terrible. It looked like what you would imagine a 4 year old’s drawing to look like but when I showed it to my mother she smiled extremely wide. Read more>>

Grace Redman

Growing up, I was surrounded by an incredible community, and I truly believe in the phrase, “It takes a village.” Every day, my home was filled with the warmth of family and friends. Mornings began with my mom and aunts sipping coffee, and by dinner, the table was covered with mouth-watering dishes that seemed endless. The aroma of garlic and onion would fill the air as my mom and her friends cooked as if they were feeding an army. There were always family favorites like my aunt’s famous broccoli noodle casserole and traditional Middle Eastern staples like hummus and tabbouleh. Every meal felt like a buffet of love and flavor—I never knew what to pick first! Read more>>

Emmanuela Kodjo & Marie-lauren Kouao

Both Emmanuela and I were raised by strong, entrepreneurial mothers who encouraged us to pursue our ambitions from a young age. Emmanuela’s mom nurtured her business sense by helping her set up a lemonade stand, where she confidently sold fresh lemonade to passing cars under the summer sun. My mom, on the other hand, introduced me to Posh, where I made my first sales and discovered the excitement of business. Through their support and encouragement, both of our moms instilled in us the values of hard work, independence, and the thrill of entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Malika Majesty

My parents always encouraged me to pursue my creative interests. From partnering with one of my parents friends on a business venture at just 12 years old up to starting my first business at 20, they have forever been supportive of me following where my heart takes me. I remember when I started my own solo business they gifted me books on online businesses and helped me get my first contract with a web developer to launch my website. My middle name, Beth, came from my mom’s sister, my Auntie B. She is an herbalist who started her own fair trade tea and herb shop called Global Fusion in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Perhaps my parents knew I would also walk the path of herbalism and entrepreneurship… Read more>>

Guerlińe Richardson

I came to America at a young age from Haiti with my parents and siblings, and they arrived with nothing but two suitcases. At that time, Haiti was not a safe place to raise children, and my parents made the brave decision to leave everything behind to give us a better chance at life. Their resilience and sacrifice shaped who I am today. They always encouraged us to chase our dreams and never give up, no matter how difficult the journey. Because of their support, I’ve been able to achieve so much. I’m a proud author of a book that empowers African American women to care for their hair using simple ingredients from their kitchens. I’m also a successful hairstylist and barber, living out my purpose and helping others feel confident in their own skin. My parents’ unwavering belief in our potential has been the driving force behind my success, and I carry their lessons with me every day. Read more>>