So many of us parent the way our parents did – because it’s the only example we’ve had a chance to see up close. We think one of the ways to remedy this is to create a space where people can share stories of the things they feel their parents did right, so we can all learn from those examples.

Alexa Shank

Growing up as a dancer, my parents instilled in me the qualities of determination and resilience. There were a couple of times throughout my life, when I auditioned for dance positions or specific dance teams and initially didn’t make the cut. These instances were extremely devastating to me. However, my parents always encouraged me to learn from my mistakes and use them to motivate myself to be better. Read more>>

Tori DuBose

One of the things my mom did right when raising me was letting me go down my chosen career path. The Art field is a complex industry to be in and my mom never once discouraged me from traveling down this path. She understood my personality and that I needed a more creative outlet and a more flexible work schedule. She also didn’t want to do to me, what was done to her growing up. Her creative outlets were stifled and it is one of the things that she has talked about wishing it had gone differently for her. Read more>>

Hanzhang Mao

I am so grateful that my parents mentally and financially support my career as an illustrator and animator. They are big fans of my art. My mom is a chemistry teacher, while she is so good at storytelling and appreciating art. She bought me drawing tools and many picture books when I was super young, which triggered my interests in storytelling. Read more>>

Claire Zhu

One of the most important lessons my parents have taught me is speaking up, whether in enacting change or defending what is right. Through joining debate in high school and discussing various political and domestic topics, I realized the power of using my voice to advocate for overlooked societal issues. When the Covid pandemic shed light on pertinent health inequities, I learned about the issue of inadequate access to menstrual products among low-income residents in the DallasLife shelter. Read more>>

Angela Ross

What a great question. As as kids, we’re often focused on pointing out what we perceive our parents are doing wrong and with time, we often see how much they truly got right. One of the best decisions my parents made was to buy a home in a great south Los Angeles neighborhood where I was raised. It was a lovely community with lots of families and the neighbors looked out for one another. Read more>>

Danielle Leveston

Both of my parents played a part in my upbringing, but my mother must be highlighted for this story. As an artist herself, my mother is truly the person who instilled in me a passion for visual art. If you ask her, she would not consider herself an artist. However, she has truly done every thing under the sun that is creative. Painting, sewing, jewelry making, you name it. My mother is also the blueprint for putting my best effort into my craft. Read more>>

Marlen Mendoza

My parents taught me at a young age that work ethic speaks volumes. In order to see the success you had to really put in the time and effort. My parents had first come to this country with very little to their names. They took on odd jobs and worked for the life they have built for themselves. The saying was, if you didn’t know how to do the job then you would just learn how to do it. There is never I can’t do that… but, I will learn to do that. Read more>>

Monique Jefferson

My parents showed me “tough love”. I mean, that could’ve been the best thing they’ve ever done for me because it prepared me for the world! Understanding that no handouts are given and that I am to work my tail off to get what I want… I mean stay focused & grind! But, they always spoiled me tremendously being the middle child & only girl. I honestly can say I had a healthy balance of the two. Read more>>

Kadina Grant

I know we all rolled our eyes at our parents for being strict and having certain rules and expectations of us but as a young lady I now can look back and thank them for their teachings. My parents made sure I always kept my grades up and have my chores done before I even thought about asking for something like hanging out with friends, which translated to me being able to build disciplined and learning how to prioritize certain tasks that may be important and needs to get done by a certain time before chilling and/or going out. Read more>>

Anasha Soisette

I’ve been blessed with decent parents but not the best parents. What my parents did right would technically be an oxymoron. They did A LOT WORNG which allowed me to know what I didn’t want to do or be as a adult. I decided that I wanted to be a better person. My parents taught me all of the toxic personality traits like shutting down, isolation, explosive anger responses, etc. I had made it up in my mind I wanted to be a good listener, kind, helpful, loving, cherished, a good friend, non-judging, etc. Read more>>

Afton Williams

Naming my intuitive business after my mother has proven to be no coincidence. One of the best things that my mother ever did right was to teach me about my intuition and how to speak to God. In my youth I attended a few Baptist churches but she was never too strict about what that looked like for me. This approach allowed me to have a foundational belief system while still building my own relationship with God. Read more>>

Rebecca Kaufman

My parents have run a cattle ranch in Montana for over 45 years. My parents had full time jobs in addition to ranching as well as raising 4 children. Watching how hard they worked to live the life they wanted instilled a deep understanding of how important quality of life is and the dedication & work it takes to do what you love. A very important lesson ranch life taught me: Failure only comes if you give up. Learn from your mistakes, dust yourself off, and try again. Read more>>

Jimmy Powell Jr

The things my parents did right was to raise my siblings and I to be dedicated, hard working, honest, and to be a person of your word. At times in life, I realize that one, if not all of those principles, is very important to that moment or moments you are in. This is the mindset that allowed me to build the relationships I have in business and is also what got me to this point. I thank God often for giving me the parents I have and the wisdom he provided them with. Read more>>

Heather Davila

I grew up in a 2 parent, loving household. My Mom and Dad were generous, strict, and hard working. My Dad owned his own business and my mom worked for our church. They both are helpers. They taught me that hard work will go unseen, but that doesn’t make it fruitless. Read more>>

Fiyin Adewunmi

My parents took every risk to ensure I had the best possible upbringing. Moving to the United States from a comfortable life in Nigeria was not something they had to do, but they did it for my siblings and myself. They always let me express myself, which gave me tremendous confidence to pursue anything I put my mind to. My success is a direct reflection of their exceptional parenting. Read more>>

Trini LaShawn

For many years, I struggled with memories of painful experiences from my childhood. My parents separated when I was 9 and divorced soon after. It took me years to forgive my parents, but on my journey of letting go of the past, my focus has shifted from the pain I felt for so long, to the many blessings and lessons I’ve learned from them. For example, my father was a black man, born in the south in 1929. Read more>>

Dr. Chad D. McKinney

My sister and I would not be who we are today without the love, support and guidance from our parents. Through word and deed, they constantly reminded us that we can do and be anything in this life. That anything is possible through faith, hard work and relentless determination. I can never express how grateful I am to my parents. They have literally given everything to our family. They have demonstrated what perseverance and a positive attitude truly look like in the face of hardship. Read more>>

Michala Richardson

My parents introduced me to art when I was little, each Saturday morning I would sit in front of the TV watching cartoons. Seeing how the characters were drawn made me want to draw them; I would find any paper that I could get my hands on. When my mom found out about it she and my dad decided to buy me a sketch book, that way I didn’t have to use the papers were used for their business. But sadly the book was filled within a day and they had to buy me another one, make a long story short they created an art monster and had to keep buying sketch books to quench its hunger. Read more>>

Meriah Cummings

I would have to say my parents made sure we had the proper upbringing when it came to independence standing on our own an given a hustlers mindset my brothers an I have our differences but we all are alike in some way due to the way we are bought up there is an old saying “where there is a wheel there’s a way” an my mother stood on that in every way never was there a moment we went without or didn’t have she always made something happen so I’d definitely say the foundation of the household growing up my parents did right by me Read more>>

Tommy Wan

One night, as my mom glazed over her braised pork belly with a final sprinkle of rice wine, she asks me to come down to the dining table to talk to me about what being a good person looks like. It was these moments that developed the conviction, morals, and values that I have today. A parent plays an important role. A father, a mother, a guardian, a caretaker—they empower their children by instilling a foundation of good ethics and a direction of morals. Read more>>

Lisa Moore

My parents always showed my sister and I unconditional love, as well as, encouraged us to pursue God’s calling on our life – whatever that might look like. From a young age my Mom helped us with crafts and taught us how to use different creative media outlets. I guess you have your standard “kid crafts”, but I also remember them allowing us to turn refrigerator boxes into our playhouses for the summer. It was a huge box, but neither of them seemed to mind us keeping it for what seemed like a really long time. Read more>>

Crystal L. Nelson, MD

My parents Percy and Flossie Lewis did many things right. They have been married now for over 52 years. One of the things that they gave me was security. I never worried for my needs or safety as a child or young adult. As a psychiatrist, I realize how much security in childhood is crucial to mental well being and resiliency. They were and continue to just be solid. I never have had to wonder if they were in my corner. My father was inquisitive about my dreams. His questions helped me to see them and to later manifest them. Read more>>

Bobby O’Gurek

Growing up with Cerebral Palsy, my parents treated me like any other child. By them doing this made me who I am today. I work hard with everything I do in my life. I graduated college with an associates degree in web design and then I started my own business. Then two years ago, I joined Tiktok and now I am a Tiktok creator. I make videos and host lives, like my dance parties. I am very grateful and thankful to my parents for the way they raised me! Read more>>

Rodolfo Reyes

I come from very humble beginnings, I have only one sibling and we were taught to earn our way through life. We were expected to be honest and hardworking. Even after a long and late night of partying, our father would wake us up the next morning to do the oil change on a car or install new brake pads. It taught us how to be useful, resourceful and never to take anyone’s job for granted. Read more>>

Scoota Santana

As a young child I’ve always had a keen eye for the arts. This both my mother and father acknowledged at a very young age, I’ve always been dramatic and they both strongly encouraged me to follow that career path. Music strongly influenced me but acting is my true passion. Since elementary I was encouraged to get each star role in our class plays. My mother ( Brenda ) is my biggest fan yet brutally honest at the same time. She saw my skill early but instilled in me there was no room for error. Read more>>

 

Sarah Johnston

I am lucky to have parents that have taught me the value of hard work. I find all of my parents inspiring and successful business people and humans (mom, dad, stepdad). I think they had a perfect balance of support but also asking us to be self-sufficient, independent, and achieve things on our own. Read more>>