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.

Clay Von Carlowitz

My parents were very different in their individual approaches to raising me, so I’ll start by saying that they did both recognize that I was a highly-imaginative boy who thrived on creativity. My dad was all about being a non-conformist, even though he secretly sought approval from well-respected leaders, business people and his own parents, both extremely proud, worldly German immigrants with a fertile network of friends. He may have had issues with anger, but often I would see him easily entertain an audience, whether it be one person or a whole group. A gifted mimic and natural comedian, he liked to show off, doing merciless impressions of people in our social circles or going on rants about someone in particular that aggravated him for the pettiest reasons. He never seemed desperate for a laugh; just went for it, refined it, nailed it. He also loved the watch horror and comedy, and the degree to which he was taken by those narratives was so infectious that it enhanced the experience. Read more>>

Linda Ruvalcaba

I feel incredibly fortunate to have four loving, supportive parents, each of whom has cheered me on in their own unique way. My stepmom is always the first to engage with my social media content, and I love her enthusiasm. My dad has always believed in me, teaching me the importance of loving what you do for work. My mom has been a constant source of encouragement, always ready to help me study or find creative ways to support my work. Though my stepdad recently passed away, he left me with the confidence to speak up against injustice and take risks. Even when I left a stable job in community mental health to start my own private practice, if they had any doubts, they never voiced them. Read more>>

Mary Grodman

My parents were instrumental in shaping the person I am today, especially in fostering my love for the outdoors and my passion for working with kids. One thing they did right was giving me the freedom to explore and encouraging me to take risks while always providing a safety net. Read more>>

Kristin Shim

Parents are people too—figuring out who they are while simultaneously raising children and teaching them how to become the best versions of themselves. They work hard to break certain cycles and avoid passing on negative habits and patterns. I don’t see my parents as perfect, but I do see them as role model figures I admire deeply. Through them, I’ve learned that love isn’t just about happy moments—it’s about hard work, patience, vulnerability, and being willing to let your guard down. Their relationship has shown me that love requires effort, and it’s not always easy. Read more>>

Alondra & Cinthia Solis & Solis

Our parents dreamt big so we could dream bigger. They tackled many obstacles as immigrants in this country and have never given up. They show up and do the work that is required to progress in life, all while not speaking English and having no mentor. They decided to immigrate and create a new life that would later give us better opportunities than they had. Read more>>

Til Doomsday (aiyana Rose)

My parents have always just let me be me. I never felt the pressure of having to be like them, or like others. It has made it so that when other people try to tell me how I should be, it doesn’t affect me. Read more>>

Briana Roy

My parents raised me to understand the importance and value of life. I grew up with a strong sense of self, which makes me secure in my emotions. This gave me a unique perspective on my career, allowing me, even at a young age, to comprehend both the business and emotional aspects of the entertainment industry. Beyond work, I have learned to communicate effectively and manage my life efficiently. They also taught me how to handle my finances and navigate the world positively, both mentally and emotionally. Read more>>

Denzhe Mudzuli

Before I fully embraced fashion, I started with graphic design back in high school. I created designs purely out of passion, offering them for free at first and gradually started receiving commissions. At that time my focus wasn’t on fashion, but I had a strong interest in clothing—I just enjoyed expressing myself through what I wore. Read more>>

Jen O’neal

From a very young age, my parents recognized my creative spark and did everything they could to nurture it. Our home was filled with opportunities to explore my imagination—like the cabinet overflowing with arts and craft supplies that I would dive into daily. One of my favorite memories growing up was helping my dad document our family’s adventures. Whether it was a holiday gathering, a basketball game, or a camping trip, he was always wanting to document it for us to reminisce on later. I loved being his little helper, and that’s when I began learning the art of storytelling through photos and videos. Read more>>

Gianna Quick

My parents have been my biggest supporters. Growing up, I found a lot of my friends parents really pushed college on their kids and some times college isn’t a necessity for what you want to do with your life. My parents always told me to just keep working and eventually your hard work will pay off and it 100% did. Read more>>

Jimmanuel Diaz

For me, my story is a little different. I grew up with just my mother, Haydelis Rivera, because my father, Jimmy Diaz, wasn’t in the picture. My mother played both roles—mother and father—and she did it with unmatched strength and grace. Read more>>

Dr. Chris Whaley

Both of my parents had very little education. My dad had a third-grade education, and my mom had a seventh-grade education. They were from south Alabama and grew up after the Great Depression.

Even though they had little education, they were able to provide for their family and provide great help for me growing up.

They taught me to never give up. Even as a sickly child, they never allowed me to feel sorry for myself. Read more>>

Tatum Vedder

I was placed in ballet and tap dance at age 4 with soccer to soon follow. I got exposure to other sports including softball, dance, gymnastics, and what then took priority and the main stage, volleyball. I believe this had a strong influence on my athleticism, ability to be a team player, and value for fitness as a lifestyle. My dad taught me how to lift weights at age 15 which has served me as a passion and stress reliever. My father is a retired chiropractor, former power builder and personal trainer, while my mother was a former aerobics teacher. They both illuminated and exemplified the importance of living an active lifestyle and how to properly fuel my body. Read more>>

Ermias Hagos

When I reflect on my parents, one of the greatest values they instilled in me was discipline, alongside a deep appreciation for our culture. I was born in Asmara, Eritrea, where Tigrinya is our native language. Growing up, my parents strongly encouraged my siblings and me to speak Tigrinya at home while reserving English for use outside. This wasn’t to diminish the importance of English but to ensure we retained our native language and stayed connected to the rich tapestry of our Eritrean heritage—through its language, food, music, and other cultural traditions. Read more>>

Will Adams

My parents divorced when I was 7 and were very different people with a very big age difference, so growing up it often felt like I lived in two very different realities depending on the day of the week. At my Mom’s things felt relatively stable, structured, and supportive. At my Dad’s there was not a lot of structure, but there was a lot figuring things out on my own and independence. I think as most kids/teenagers do, I found a lot of ways to resent the differences at the time. Read more>>

Rhodel Rosales

There are things that a parent has to provide: food, shelter, education, and medical. Otherwise, I might as well have been a Tamagotchi. There are sacrifices: mom didn’t work for more than a decade to take care of me. There’s hard work: dad worked multiple blue collar jobs at once for us to survive. I am forever grateful for that.  Our parents were just figuring things out on the fly. They were doing the best they could with what they had whether it be financially or knowledge. I can’t fault them for that. In the grand calculus of my multiverse, they did nothing wrong. It may have seemed wrong at the time, but I am where I am today because of my past and parent’s decision making. Looking back in retrospect, you take a situation that they were in. Read more>>

Joyita Neerkaje

I was born to two free-thinking and creative parents. My dad, a Pilot – Rum Connoisseur – Marketing expert, taught me by example the importance of following my dreams, to love with all my heart and take pride in myself and my work.
My mom, a writer-a teacher-a theatre artist, taught me that I did not need to fit in, the importance of hard work, creating memories and the ability to express my unique self. Read more>>

Cate Mccollum

As a mental health therapist, I have the privilege of working closely with children, teens, and their parents. One of the core beliefs that drives my practice is the importance of the parent-child relationship and attachment dynamics. I’m fortunate to hold space for both parents and children as they navigate life’s challenges. A common theme in parent sessions is the realization that there’s no manual for raising children. As I empathize with parents who are experiencing these challenges for the first time, I also reflect on the impact my own parents had on shaping my life and career. Read more>>

Rohini Agarwal

Growing up it never occurred to me that parenting is such a difficult job. I always assumed that my parents magically always know what needs to be done. Its only when i became a mom i realized that Its a job where parents take countless decisions on a daily basis which eventually shape the habits, personality and the skills. Everyday i question myself if i am drawing the right balance between thoughtful parenting and giving appropriate freedom to my kid to develop his individual personality, his own likes/dislikes. Needless to say i am always going to draw inspiration from my parents because they helped shape me into a successful person. Read more>>

Samantha Welch

My parents were far from perfect, but they really loved me and my brothers. Growing up, I didn’t realize the power of words and how children absorb whatever we say about them and turn it into action and belief. The things my parents said about me out frustration with my boldness as a child actually helped me believe that I could do anything I set my mind to. Read more>>

Sonia Mendoza

As a child, I saw my parents work tirelessly. Despite both of them having graduated from College, the reality of Venezuela is completely different from that of any other country, so you have to do whatever it takes to survive. I saw my parents do everything: cooking, driving taxis, working in offices, having their own businesses, and much more. I never saw my parents stay at home doing nothing. Every morning, they would wake up and look for something to do. Read more>>

Raymona Lawrence

I usually introduce myself by telling people my lens. Your lens is how you see the world and it shapes how you interact with others as well as your interpretation of situations within your environment. So, my lens….I’m an African American female born in the deep South. I was raised at the corner of Black and Blue since my dad was not only an African American male, but the Chief of Police of our City. I could walk into the police department as a little black girl and say, “Hey, buzz me back”…and they would hit a button that would make a buzzing sound and would open the door to the private layers of the police department where all the offices were. Read more>>

Anthony Laquatra

My dad was a chef, but he wasn’t just that—he was an artist, through and through. In the kitchen, sure, but beyond it too. He could carve ice sculptures like they were marble, doodle little masterpieces on scraps of paper, and now? He spends hours hand-painting this sprawling model train set he built himself. He’s always loved trains. Read more>>

Sermontee Brown

They understood their generational traumas were not my fault and that it’s unfair to expose me to a toxic home environment especially since they’re the reason why I’m here and I didn’t ask them to give birth to me. They also made sure to keep me in a child’s place, meaning they just wanted me to enjoy my childhood, and keep my innocence by letting me be a kid and not have to witness or be involved in adult situations. They have always supported my dreams. I knew my parents and my household were different because when I was growing up I would go visiting at my friend’s house and how the atmosphere would be different in my friend’s home. Read more>>

Lauren Johnson

Growing up, I had an overwhelming fear of failure. If you were to ask my parents, they would tell you that they never put pressure on me to do well because I always held myself to high standards. And when I failed, as is a natural part of life, my parents had two consistent questions– “Did you do your best?” and “what more could anyone ask for?” My parents are the reason I am able to do things that scare me. They challenged me to excel and while giving me a soft place to land if I wasn’t successful. They taught me failure was an option as long as you apply what you learned from it and keep pushing forward. Read more>>