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.

Ruben / #TAG Karapetyan

My parents have played a significant role in shaping who I am today. I remember how, from a young age, they introduced me to art and exposed me to various creative experiences. When I began sharing my creative work with the public, I couldn’t help but wonder how my parents would react, even though I didn’t dwell on it much. Read more>>

Shannon Ricks, LMFT

Something really exceptional about my parents is that they never gave me compliments or feedback about my appearance. I know that’s really unheard of to have parents never call their daughter beautiful or pretty or cute. My mom didn’t particularly care about her appearance, and I only had brothers who also didn’t care much about the way they looked. Instead I was being complemented and psychologically rewarded for my intelligence, my kindness, and my talents. This really helped me build confidence and self-esteem. The way I feel about myself doesn’t fluctuate even as my outward appearance fluctuates. I am so grateful for the messaging I was given as a child and hope that other parents can learn from this. Read more>>

Christopher Lafayette

When you ask, “What did your parents do right, and how has that impacted you in your life and career?”, the thing that comes to mind is, from my earliest days, that my dad was a soldier, and my mom was a nurse. Through so much of my childhood, teenage years, and adult life, I’ve seen them in positions of service, with the consideration of the great sacrifice that a soldier and a nurse make, the impression never left me. Read more>>

Amelia Grant

Growing up in a one parent household its alot of things your parent, which happens to be my mom has done right that has happen to make a huge impact in my life. I believe one of the biggest things she did was install in me the importance of my name and who I am. My mother would always remind me as a young girl that “your name is important so be careful what you attach to your name because even though you might outgrow those things, its people who will still associate you to actions or experiences you create. I didn’t really take huge heed to the knowledge she was giving me at the time, being young it’s so much easier to be rebellious and believe that you know it all and that everyone else is just against you. Read more>>

Wendy Powell

My dad was a business owner. He owned a sod/landscape business. Both my mom and dad were hard workers. They believed you could do anything if you worked hard enough. Growing up I always thought my dad expected a lot from me. If I got a B in school he would ask why I didn’t get an A. He knew I had more potential than what I was doing. He pushed me to be my best. My mom never did anything halfway. I was taught if you are going to do something, do it to the best of your ability and always follow through. Being a business owner is hard work but my parents prepared me to handle the hard work and give it all I have. Read more>>

Joanna Syiek

My parents really supported my creativity and curiosity from an early age. I think they realized that songs, music, dancing, and theatre lit me all the way up and they really leaned into finding and creating experiences to help nurture that joy. (I also think I dropped a few breadcrumbs that creative pursuits > sports in my early years. See: most of my soccer games around age 4 included me foraging flowers and creating daisy chain crowns on the sidelines vs. caring too much about where the ball was). Read more>>

Ericka Downing

My parents taught me that you have to work for everything in life and that nothing is handed to you. The concept of hard work was ingrained in my brain which is why I never back down from any challenge that life has given me. I take those challenges as opportunities for growth as a catalyst to drive me outside of my comfort zones in order to be successful. Sometimes adversity forces us to bloom in ways that we could never expect and I have always viewed myself as an underdog. I think that that mentality makes me fight everyday for the survivors that my agency serves. Read more>>

Dan Snyder

My parents sadly passed a couple years back so this is something I have given a lot of thought to. Both of them gave me completely different things. My dad was determined, someone who always saw life as something that would work out for him even if his odds dictated otherwise. He fantasized and dreamed and held strong ideas close. I can’t imagine participating in something as brutal as the music industry without his love for music (and stubbornness). Read more>>

Cameron Zellner

Since I was a child, my parents always made sure they instilled a hard work ethic in my brother and I. My dad took over his fathers company, to which my brother eventually took over from him. I remember my mom saying, construction was a feast or famine industry so always be smart and work hard. As I went to college, I realized my love for helping others feel good in their clothes and get ready for events. Despite working in a completely different field from my family, the same core value has always been true, work hard. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” was also a common saying in my house. Read more>>

Jasmin Taylor

Teach me how to pray and that God is real. No matter what you call the life essence in each of us that wakes us up in the morning, there is an essence, and it is within us all. My belief in this power, and my ability to recognize that everyone doesn’t call it the same thing has not only fueled my career and passion as a performing artist, but has saved my life, and the lives of those connected to me :) Read more>>

Cleavon Davis

The best thing my parents did for me, was teaching me to be an independent thinker and problem solver. That’s what creativity is! It’s solving life’s problems by creating something that doesn’t presently exist. But, solving problems can be difficult and that is why critical thinking is so important. A lot of people do not take the time to think deeply because we live in a hurried society, but it is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. Read more>>

Sheana Kizer

My parents are hands down, the best parents on the planet. Words can not describe how amazing these people are. I love my parents the mostest!!! And yes, the “mostest” but that’s just it, they’re beyond words. The most giving, welcoming, accepting people I’ve ever met; strong, smart, determined, firm, tough, motivating…they’re everything great. A parent’s job is to equip you for life and from the very beginning my parents started equipping me for the ups and downs of life. From the funniest unorthodox emergency drills to seeing them help others without prejudice. Both found success as entrepreneurs in their own way. Read more>>

Vinny Fiorenza

I was very fortunate to grow up in an environment where I was given many opportunities to try a lot of things. I was always involved in both solo activities and team activities. My parents were very proactive in having me being engaged in different groups both in school and after school. Being a part of teams in competitive sports and beyond has given me many of the leaderships and team building skills I still use to this day. They always encouraged me to try my best and give the most to everything I do. I still practice that and it has been helpful in my professional career thus far. Read more>>

Marc Schuster

Back when I was in college, my parents never pressured me to major in a field they thought would be lucrative. My father, in particular, always said that I should major in something I was interested in rather than something I thought would lead to a job. The idea was to learn as much as I could and to become the kind of person with enough breadth of knowledge that I could continue to learn and adapt in any field. Their view of higher education as a means of developing a broader worldview as opposed to a focused mode of career training allowed me to become the kind of person I always wanted to be–what people used to call something of a renaissance man. Read more>>

Taylor Bell

My mom completely changed my view of death and dying. Prior to her death, I had only seen the dying process within the confines of a hospital, and even that was limited. It was as though the dying person were hidden away, left to do their dying quietly and out of plain sight. When my mom received a terminal diagnosis (after evading adrenal cancer several times), she approached it like she did everything in life – head on with a positive attitude, and more concerned for the people in her life than herself. Read more>>