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.

Lowden Harrell

My parents did many things right! The most important thing they did right was always being supportive of the things I wanted to do. I decided to be a musician at a young age, and they’ve been there alongside me ever since. They consistently made sure I had practiced every day, but only as much as I wanted to. I was never FORCED to become a better player, they encouraged me to go at my own pace. Read more>>

Dietlind Vander Schaaf

I have been very fortunate in life to have two loving and enthusiastic parents who have encouraged and supported me to pursue what I love and am passionate about in life. My mother and father are highly energetic people – the sort who wake up full of ideas and plans. Read more>>

BC Naps

I lost my father at a young age so I was mainly raised by my mother and sisters. My mom was very strict and I always thought it was for no reason. Now that I’m older I realize it’s because of that, I’m becoming successful. My mom worked hard for every penny she had when I was growing up. From as far as I can remember my mother has always made sure that I understood the value of money. Read more>>

Jessica McDevitt

My parents are my biggest champions and have always encouraged my independence in learning lessons for myself. I originally applied to college theatre programs and showbiz is certainly not every parent’s dream for their child’s future. While my parents weren’t over the moon about the chosen career path, they knew choosing a major would be the first of many decisions I’d make as a now adult. Read more>>

Raquel Lopez

I would have to say that growing up in average household where only one parent was business mind oriented, has helped me the most throughout my career and the choices I’ve made. I watched my mother start her business working from home, helping customers at all hours of the day, any day of the week to going on to open up her own office location, and even owning a large franchise business. Read more>>

Dennis Jones

As with most kids growing up in the 60s and 70s we grew up differently then a lot of kids today. We had to do chores and had to say yes ma’am and yes sir all the time. Discipline and respect was a big deal in our house hold. It was probably the reason I practiced on my guitar for hours a day. Looking back as an adult they truly prepared me for life. Read more>>

Joseline Mejia

I’m not sure if this has happened to you but personally and in therapy we process the things that hurt us as a child and the shortcomings that our parents had and during that process is also important to identify and recognize the things that they did right. Read more>>

Ellie Wilson

My parents taught me the importance of personal responsibility. It was never an option to shift blame or not be willing to own up for mistakes and shortcomings. I remember as a kid when I would have to apologize to one of my brothers for something I had done and, like every sulky kid, I would roll my eyes and grudgingly say “I’m sorry.” But that was never enough for my mom, she didn’t accept half-hearted apologies and would stop me and ask “sorry for what? What did you do to hurt your brother? You need to own up to your actions.” Read more>>

Renee Nutwell

One of the things I have to give my parents credit for is how they prepared me financially. I was raised looking at the cost of different activities or different possessions. I was encouraged to think critically and always look for a lower cost while maintaining quality. While they both have more traditional careers as healthcare workers, they openly shared why they worked with a certain hospital and picked up extra work with private companies at various times through my childhood. Read more>>

Hetty Vorderman

From a very young age our parents taught us the value of hard work and how it pays off in so many different ways. Having been business owners themselves their entire careers, it showed my siblings and I that you truly can do what you love and make a living doing it. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy! And it doesn’t mean you don’t have to compromise in some other areas of your life to make it all happen. But they certainly taught us that these small compromises far outweigh the triumphs and joys of owning your own business. Read more>>

Rachel Joyce

I was very lucky in the sense that my Dad was the person who first got me involved in the arts. His college friend was opening an art school in our neighborhood and he signed me up when I was about seven years old as a favor to his friend. In doing so I discovered that I had some natural talent and learned to further my skills. Read more>>

Tee Recx

My parents show me both sides of the spectrum in terms of life. My mom always gave me the pros and cons speech about what is going to happen if this occurs and everything and so being in a household with my dad, he was very analytical as well that prepared me to look at life, kind of like an analyst. With that kind of mindset, I say, prepared me for a great Information Technology and Entertainment career. Read more>>

Katrine Hildebrandt

As a parent myself, I often think about all the wonderful attributes my parents shared with us, and what knowledge/skills they taught me that I can in turn pass down to my own children. As a child of an artist/art teacher and a business owner who dabbled in woodworking I learned a lot about craft, design, and color from my parents. I have very distinct memories of my mother helping me to put together book reports for school. Read more>>

Serita Lacasse

I am very fortunate, because I had two amazing parents mold me into the woman I am today. Both my parents worked outside the home but were always home by dinner. They insisted that we all sit down for dinner together during the week. Going out was not as popular in the 80’s as it is now. Both my brother and I were very involved with sports and we would have practices and games weekly. Read more>>

Nicole Allen

My parents always encourage me to do whatever my heart led me to. They were never the type of folks to say I had to do this or that in order to be successful. Whenever I made moves in my life as a child or adult they always supported me, even if it felt like a complete change in direction. Having that mindset of flexibility allowed me to never feel like I had to stay in something just because – I could always leave/change, if need be. Read more>>

Theresa Regan

One of the greatest things my parents did for me was teaching me the importance of being a hard worker. My mother is the strongest, smartest, kindest, most resilient person I have ever met, and has had her own accounting business for as long as I can remember. Growing up, she taught me the importance of running a small woman-owned business simply by leading by example. Read more>>

Rä Lomac

They individually showed me duality in independence. My father taught me strategy through endurance and mother the strength in sacrifice. They both continue to have some of the biggest hearts I’ve seen but with that level in caring for others an equal if not greater understanding of setting boundaries. When I was younger my father took me with him to assist a friend of his by cutting down a tree in their back yard. Read more>>

Kansys Clouse

My parents have been an instrumental part of my success. Growing up I saw my mother working hard and long hours at the bank. She started as a bank teller and worked her way all the way to a top position with hard work and dedication. To this day she works so hard in her job and continues to persevere with a smile on her face. My father also worked very hard and always supported my mom in her work and this was also something I admired. Read more>>

Anastasiia Glekel

One of the most significant things that my parents did right was to never hold me back from pursuing my goals and dreams. They were always supportive of my educational and career choices, even if they didn’t fully comprehend the industry or field that I was interested in. This unwavering support has been instrumental in allowing me to chase my passions and work towards achieving my aspirations. Read more>>

Daley Krom

Many of us look back at our childhood and only see the challenges that formed us, or maybe there are one or two positive things our parents did. For me I believe it was a culmination of the challenge and support from childhood that formed me into a business owner. I grew up with entrepreneurial parents. I never saw my parents go to a 9-5 it was always a 6a-whenever the job is done life. Read more>>

Wi-Moto Nyoka

My father had many different small businesses when I was growing up. It took him a while to find the business that combined what he loved the most and when he started the landscaping company things really took off. Watching him try different ideas, innovate, pivot, and land on his feet helped me understand what being a small business owner is all about. It’s risky, you have to step out on faith, Read more>>

Leah Ferrone

I love this question because I really did hit the parent (and sibling) lottery. Growing up, both of my parents gave us an open runway to safely explore the world and just be who we were meant to be. They embraced wonder and awe in life and created an extremely loving and open minded home for us. My parents were also entrepreneurs; their greatest business success was a small Italian restaurant they ran for many years. The restaurant was a hit because the food was great, but I really think people kept coming back because of the warm, welcoming and authentic energy my parents created in that space. Read more>>

Christina Santini

I have never liked boxes and have always had a strong desire to be able to be creative and see how my efforts could shape my own destiny. And those are traits I deeply value today, as I see how afraid many others are of taking risks, using common sense and standing up for what they believe. There is a lot of pressure to fit in, and we are doing a disservice to not have more nuanced and open discussions of differences of opinions. Read more>>

Jessica Sinclair

My parents are exemplary human beings; who came into this country from Jamaica to achieve the “American Dream”. They impacted my life in career in so many ways, I have lost count. They are what grit and faith it is truly inspiring. A few words come to mind to describe their impact “community”, “resilence”, and “perseverance” I was born in Brooklyn and raised in Elmont NY, I learned the fundamentals of family and hard-work at very early age. Read more>>

Owen Squires

My parents were very hands on. They allowed my brother and I to ask as many questions as we liked, and they’d always do their best to appease our curiosity. Read more>>

Bob Doucette

When I was young my Dad, (an amateur artist) wanted one of his five children to be a professional artist so he made sure we always had art supplies and the proper education. I came from a large working class family that did not have a lot of extra money but my Dad always prioritized our “art” education. I had drawing lesson and painting lessons since I was very young and I always had some kind of art supplies at home to make things. Read more>>

Daniel Overberger

My Mother always told me “life is not fair” and what is amazing about that is how much I wanted and want it to be fair. I’m a libra justice and balance can be like a sickness haha.My Mother also told me the Library has the answer to almost every question you might have. Now it’s the internet. My mom even taught me how to identify plants using my phone. Read more>>

Clarice Criss

I was raised by an artist and a computer analyst. They saw the world differently and allowed each of their kids to create their own world as well. My parents encouraged my curiosities! At 5 when I said I wanted to garden my father built me one in the backyard and let me grow anything and everything I wanted. Read more>>