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.

Carlehr Swanson

My mom and grandmother, Gladys, prioritized faith in my life at a young age. We would all go to church every Sunday when I was a kid. They taught me about praying and casting all of my cares on God. Now, as an adult, I rely solely on His strength, and I am so grateful for their teachings. Read more>>

Nico Arias

I owe everything to my mom, María Fernanda. She believed in me even when things weren’t clear, bought me my first materials, my iPad, and gave me the chance to study art in the U.S. She’s worked so hard to give me everything, and I wouldn’t be where I am without her. Read more>>

Elizabeth Diaz

One thing my parents did right — even though I didn’t appreciate it at the time — was being strict and structured. They had high expectations, clear rules, and very little tolerance for shortcuts or excuses. Growing up, I sometimes felt like I was missing out or being held back compared to my peers. But looking back now, I realize that their discipline built the foundation for the person I am today. Read more>>

Curtrina Smalls

When I was younger, my parents didn’t always have a lot, but they always made sure we looked taken care of. Clean, neat, presentable — even if we were just running errands. That taught me early on that presentation, self-respect, and showing up for yourself matters — and that’s something I pour into every client. When you leave my spa, I want you to feel put together, seen, and valued. Read more>>

Chelsea Hoyal

My parents never allowed us to quit. They taught us the value of fitness, eating whole foods, and breaking free from habits that didn’t serve our health. We were a family that faced challenges with obesity, but we worked at it—together, with consistency and determination. Read more>>

Julia Borkowski

My parents have supported me and my goals from the very beginning. When I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian at just two years old, they made sure I was getting the experience I needed in agriculture. By the age of 13, with their help, I landed my first job at a local vet clinic, assisting in the care of both large and small animals. Read more>>

Helen Overfield

My parents instilled in me at a young age, a love of learning and trying new things. They exposed me to various art forms growing up and I have always enjoyed creating. My father was an engineer and was always “inventing something.” Both of my parents had Master’s Degrees and were very involved in their children’s education. They encouraged us to always do more than the minimum, and to take risks. Their support, no matter what I did was so valuable. They have since passed away, bur I know they’d be proud of the “Hats Off by Helen” business I created. Read more>>

Kimberly Gilfus

My parents did a lot of things right, but one of the biggest gifts they gave me was a slow, simple upbringing rooted in nature and real connection. We spent a lot of time outside, working with our hands, doing things that required presence and patience. That shaped the way I approach life and my work now. I value intention, consistency, and creating space for people to feel grounded—because that’s what I was raised with. It taught me to lead from calm, not chaos. Read more>>

Jenna Rose Weisenbach

For starters, my parents told me I could be anything I wanted when I grew up—and they actually meant it. I was never discouraged from pursuing a creative career. I think they knew early on that there was no way I could be talked out of it, even if they tried, so instead of swaying me toward something different, they focused on teaching me about the grit it would take to succeed. Read more>>

Jessica Berglin

My parents did a lot right, but I think what they modeled most importantly was to pursue creativity. My dad was a high school art teacher in the 1970s/early 80s before my brother and I were born. And my mom was always sewing her own clothes, so I grew up trying my hand at nearly every type of outlet for self-expression. When I was in grade school, I remember going to my first art class with my dad at the local art center. It was a printmaking class, and I remember being excited because that was one of the mediums dad focused on in art school. Read more>>

Tracee McDaniel

Back in 1990 while living in Los Angeles, California, I received a five-page letter from my mother, admitting to her past mistakes, even apologizing to me for the misguided way she handled my gender identity that was opposite of what the mid-wife assigned me the night I was born at home in South Carolina on a frigid January night. Read more>>

Carmina León

SInce I was a child I began to share my artistic intentions to my parents, they are teachers so my house was always full of materials for arts and crafts. At 10 years old my mom took me to an art gallery so I could start learning painting and drawing. I believe that the fact that they had an aproach to my interests where I could be free to create and explore, had everything to do whit the fact that I am now an artist. Read more>>

Mildred J. Mills

My parents, Abraham and Mildred Billups, were the original grit-and-grace duo. They had seventeen children. Yet, somehow, through lean times, times of plenty, and post-World War II Alabama, they raised us to believe in the power of hard work, the value of an education, and the importance of self-respect. Read more>>

Folade Speaks

My parents did something beautiful ~ they each exposed me to nature and spirit in their own unique ways. My dad introduced me to plant medicine when I was just five years old, taking me to herbal shops and teaching me the value of holistic health. I basically grew up in health food stores. My mom was deeply connected to the sun, astrology, and self-nurturing. I vividly remember watching her soak for hours in a clawfoot tub, bathing like a goddess ~ it was an early lesson in the sacredness of self-care. Read more>>

Eduardo Flores

I believe the best thing my parents ever did for themselves was separate. Both of my parents loved each other as far as I saw yet, if they would have stayed together we would be in a worse spot considering alcoholism was present. Sure it hurt growing up and seeing my single mother work multiple jobs, but she has found better things and it has allowed me a life where I can pursue my art within a house hold full of support. I understand now that we need to go through the fire to get out alive. I don’t really think I’d do anything creative if it wasn’t for going though the pain and now finding peace with it all and learning through the faults we experience often.  Read more>>

Christy Simoncelli

I love this question! My parents were hard workers and they loved each other in the biggest most obvious ways possible. My dad was an entrepreneur and after years of working for others, finally opened his own restaurant in his late 30’s. He absolutely showed me the value of hard work and pursuing your dreams. My mom had a successful career as a banker after staying home with my brothers and I for ten years. She showed me how to be passionate about your career and how to be an effective boss and leader and a mom all at once. Read more>>

Ghina Yaghi

I still remember the moment I broke down after one of the hardest exams of my life. I had poured everything into studying – weeks of late nights, endless notes, and barely a moment to myself. But as I left the exam hall, uncertain of my answers and weighed down by exhaustion, I found a quiet corner, pulled out my phone, and called my dad. I could barely speak through the tears. Read more>>

Başak Turan

I believe my family took the right step by using the resources they had to give me a good education. They did this sometimes by pushing me, sometimes by guiding me, but mostly by providing me with a framework. This framework was not restrictive; it was guiding, protective and nurturing. Read more>>

Rijha Kamran Hussaini

Growing up, my parents were the first ones to really nurture the creative parts of me. I often think about how lucky I was to be raised by people who understood that they were learning as they went too – it was their first time living this life, just like it was mine. Read more>>

Kamilah Ellis

My parents were teachers and administrators in the education field for many years. They always worked so hard and rarely took any time off. They were nurturing yet firm with students, loving each one of them. Fast forward to when I graduated from my undergraduate program at Oral Roberts University with a degree in theology. I wanted to be in full-time ministry. However, my parents were very instrumental in steering me towards education. They told me about a Master’s degree program where I would get dual teaching certification. Read more>>

Megan Beirne

Growing up my parents had my brother and I do chores in order to earn money. From there, they required and encouraged us to get a job as soon as we were old enough, so for me that looked like babysitting as a teenager and then landing my first “big girl” job at a retail store after getting my license. It didn’t take long for me to understand and realize what money could offer me – a feeling of independence and self respect. Having that mindset led me to becoming a workaholic after high school, where I found myself picking up extra shifts and working double on the weekends. Read more>>

Candace

What my parents did right was model two fundamentally different yet deeply complementary approaches to life, and those dual influences have shaped both my values and how I show up in my career. My father was the quintessential builder, an entrepreneur in the purest form. He had this insatiable drive to create something of his own, not just for the sake of success, but for freedom. I remember being maybe six or seven, sitting beside him as he built a computer from scratch. I didn’t even understand multiplication yet, but I could identify a motherboard, RAM, a processor, and I knew how to install them.  Read more>>

Rodericka Collie

There is no blueprint on how to be a great parent. In fact for most parents, their only framework is to make an intentional effort to be better than their own parents. Though my parents made many mistakes, they raised me to think. To challenge information with objectivity and curiosity. This desire to seek new information sparked my interest into psychology as the more we understand ourselves and others, the more fulfillment we can have in our own lives. It is this curiosity that enables me to have empathy and compassion. Read more>>

Nicole Jensen

I was lucky enough to have many mentors growing up including my parents, step-parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles. All of them were extremely hard working and entrepreneurial. I learned by example from a young age that hard work pays off and that you can do anything you set your mind to. We always had chores growing up that we were responsible for completing each week and we all played a part in the success of the family unit. This taught me not only discipline but also responsibility and teamwork. Read more>>

Georganne Youngclaus

My parents were — and are — everything to me. I was raised in a home full of love, values, and intention. My mom and dad gave me the kind of emotional foundation that stays with you forever. They were spiritual, curious, and full of heart — the kind of people who read Wayne Dyer and the Tao Te Ching, who talked about being highly sensitive before anyone knew the acronym HSP. Read more>>