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.

Tim Eggert

I think the best thing my parents did growing up was 100% believe in what I was doing. When I said I wanted to be an artist they supported me. They didn’t ask me if I was sure or try to urge me to do something else. I’m very thankful for parents who believed in me and supported my art.. Read more>>

Emily Benson

I grew up with an entrepreneur father and a nurse mother—one taught me the grit of building a business, and the other the power of seeing the best in people.

Watching my dad build his remodeling company from the ground up showed me that chasing big dreams was possible, even if it wasn’t easy. Some of my earliest memories are of watching him run his remodeling company from home. I would wander into his office just to be near the action, dusting the copier or sorting coins on his desk, convinced I’d be the boss one day. That entrepreneurial energy propelled me to where I am today: seven years into running my own small business in consulting, web design, and product photography. Read more>>

Nathan Chandler
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My parents collected artwork, my mother ran several art galleries over the years. My first job at 12 years old was in an art gallery with my mom. I did all the grunt work. I grew up around artists and musicians from a young age, my mom also managed a blues club in New Orleans called Tipitina’s. These experiences started shaping my taste for art at a very young age. Being around creatives molded me into one, Read more>>

Katrina Chiovon

My mother always told me I can have any life I want… to follow my dreams.
This was extremely important to tell a child or younger adult & it really did help! When parents tell you negative things like you can’t do that or you can’t do this it will really hold you back, so I’m extremely grateful that my mother did not do that and in fact, encouraged me to follow my dreams. Read more>>

Emmanuel Obile Joshua

The best thing my parents did right was to give me their full support to pursue my career as a visual artist. As a child, my parents discovered I had a talent for drawing and illustrating. Initially, my dad wanted me to study architecture, but after considering advice from others, they decided to support my passion for art. Read more>>

Tia Uzzell

The greatest thing my parents did right was supporting me in anything I wanted to do and giving me the freedom to explore my interests. Their encouragement wasn’t limited to one area—it spanned from creative projects to sports to academics, and even adventurous activities. Read more>>

Elan Carson

One thing my parents did for me that shaped my tenaciousness from a very young age–I’m talking first grade–was frequently saying, “Don’t let anyone hold you back, not even us.”

That stuck with me and continues to, because it’s made me fearless in going after what I want in my career and pushing back, even against them, when they didn’t see the vision I had. Read more>>

Christian Camilo Diaz

My parents, God bless them, gave birth to me in Colombia, where at the time opportunities to thrive were not plentiful, they reflected on their own experiences and now with a new addition to their little family they decided to make an enormous change and moved across the world to London, England in search of a better life. Read more>>

Allyssa K. Blair

Two years after marriage my parents gave birth to an obedient, responsible, well-mannered child. Seven years later they began the wildest ride of their life, me. I was spontaneous, talkative, followed my own rules and always had my hands in something. My parents had no idea how to raise a child like me, so after many different approaches, they sought wise counsel that helped shape their perspective on parenting. The wisdom shared with them was, “Whatever you do, do not break her spirit.” “Creativity by any means necessary” was the way I saw life. I got on my parents last nerve every other day, but through it all they never broke my spirit. Though they did not understand everything I did, they knew I had to go through those phases to get to the larger purpose. Read More>>