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.

Kevin Martin

I am extremely grateful for my parents.

Growing up on a farm in rural Northwest Ohio, my sister and I were instilled with work-driven ethics and values. I started working on the farm as soon as I could walk, feeding the cattle and hogs, planting tomatoes, driving tractors, and hauling manure.

Sustaining the farm was a way of life. It was a lifestyle, it was a rite of passage. Read more>>

Draza Jansky

My parents were college professors and artists, so they modeled a powerful synergy of imagination, intellect, and discipline.

They taught me that anything you choose to create is generated first in your mind. They also emphasized that focus, discipline and consistency is what allows us to bring our creations into the material world. Read more>>

Marlon Williams

My parents are exceptional at many things – What I admire most about them is their ability to sense optimism in almost any situation and with resilience to life’s obstacles through tenacity, willpower + creativity. The inherent presence of tenacity is deeply ingrained within my ethos as a business owner, creative + spirit. By failing forward and learning how to mitigate risk, I’ve acquired a foundational framework through parental conditioning about how to get back up and try again, accounting for the scars, and keeping the lessons learned. Read more>>

Jordan Wade

I will always credit my pursuit of art to not only my parents, but my whole family. I don’t think I can properly articulate just how grateful I am to have grown up around people where I was not only encouraged to explore my hobbies and interests, but constantly taught new things by them. Read more>>

KATHERINE GLORIOSO DRESS

From an early age, my entrepreneurial spirit was evident. I was fortunate to have parents who encouraged my ambitions while allowing me the freedom to learn through my own experiences. I remember at just nine years old, confidently trading my bookbag for my father’s old briefcase—a bulky, plastic-and-metal case that was nearly half my size. Though it wasn’t the most practical choice, my parents allowed me to discover that on my own. I was going to be an entrepreneur I needed the briefcase. Offering their support whether I stuck with it or eventually switched back to my fabric unicorn-printed backpack, which I ultimately did for convenience I moved on to more important things. Read more>>

Dr. Terika Mercedes

My parents made the courageous decision to migrate from Jamaica to the United States four decades ago with their four children, and from the very beginning, they set the tone for our journey. They made it clear that we were not just coming to America to exist but to thrive with purpose. They instilled in us a deep sense of responsibility to achieve not just the American dream but also to occupy our sphere of influence and walk in our God-given purpose. Read more>>

Livi Southard

Such a loaded but beautiful question. I actually just watched an instagram reel yesterday, it was a compilation of celebrity speeches across different awards shows where they had thanked their mother in their speeches.
I think as artists we’re constantly stuck in this world of pain and angst because we believe it is what drives our art, that it is not very common to have someone ask you as an artist “what are you happy for?”, “what went right in your life?”. We need more questions like this. Read more>>

Maci Cowart

Growing up, my parents instilled in me the value of independence, resilience, and adaptability—qualities that have shaped not only my personal journey but also my career. From an early age, I moved all over Louisiana, the country, and even the world, constantly adapting to new environments, cultures, and challenges. The biggest lesson my parents taught me was how to be successful on my own—to build a life for myself without relying on others and to take ownership of my future. Read more>>

Chrisserge Pierre-Louis

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York to two Haitian parents is an experience in and of itself. The juxtaposition of being sheltered in a bustling city creates this sort of “bird in a cage” psychology. Dying to break free from confinement in attempts to experience the beautiful chaos of life. A willingness to shed fear and take the awkward first steps toward the unknown. My parents were protective of me, their youngest boy, rightfully so. I was rebellious and hungry for adventure. Keeping me contained to an extent was in the best interest of the family, but little did I know it would be in my best interest as well. My parents weren’t prison wardens. We’d go to the movies almost every other Sunday and spend 12 hours movie hopping between the newest blockbusters and film flops. Read more>>

Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler

Instill in us the importance of volunteerism. My mom would tell us that if you have been given the means and the ability, it is your God-given duty to help others. Volunteering wasn’t something our family did for fanfare or praise. I watched my mom spend hours on fundraisers for the Friends of the Library to keep our small-town library afloat. If an uncontrollable situation forced someone out of their home, my dad’s pick-up truck was ready. At Christmastime, Mom would contact a social worker and request a family in need. One particular holiday stands out in my mind. When I was 12, I chose a pair of mittens for a little girl on our list. The mittens were white with a blue and green argyle star. Read more>>

Sara Greyfox

I’m the oldest of 8 kids, and we were all homeschooled in Idaho, on a 20-acre farm, in a tiny house with three bedrooms and one bathroom for the 10 of us. It was as humble an upbringing as I could have gotten. We chopped and hauled wood for our fireplace in the winters, and pulled weeds from the garden and canned food in the summers. On the wall in my parent’s living room hangs a giant quote that says “work hard and be nice to people” —I’d say this pretty well encapsulates what we had as far as rules growing up in our household. But where those simple rules stopped, freedom began. Read more>>

Kimberly Jones

My parents are Pastors. A lot of people assume that that means I grew up in a super strict household. I didn’t. My parents showered me with love and guidance while allowing me to find my own path. What I’m grateful for is my parents believed me. I told them what I wanted to do and they believed me. Having their support boosted my confidence and led me to actually accomplishing my dreams. The best thing a parent can do for their child is sincerely believe them and support their dreams. Read more>>

Abby Kuenzi

I was born and raised on a farm in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in the beautiful state of Oregon and had an idyllic childhood spending the summer days outdoors with my five younger siblings. My dad had his own construction company doing directional drilling and worked hard to provide for our family, allowing my mom to stay home and raise us kids. Conversations around the dinner table ranged anywhere from the total calf count for the day, the new litter of puppies, to stories from dad’s work day. He was intentional to share the highs and lows of self employment as well as the challenges and opportunities that it presented. At a young age I was curious about entrepreneurship and dreamt of someday having my own business – whatever that looked like. Read more>>

Caiyu Song

My parents were architects of possibility – the kind of visionary producers every cinematic journey requires. While other childhoods followed predictable three-act structures, mine unfolded like an auteur’s passion project, its narrative threads weaving through unexpected locations and experimental subplots. Read more>>

Sunanda Vasudevan

I rarely view my parents as external to my life and career. As their only child, my journey since the day I discovered my love for art as a five-year-old has been that of our little three-person team. My mother, Srimathi Vasudevan is a school teacher-turned-private tutor helping high-schoolers with science and math, while my father, T. A. Vasudevan is a retired clerk from the national telecommunications department in India. They are not creatives but they are dreamers. Read more>>

Gabrielle Besse

My mother is also an artist, the only one beside me in the family. She always pushed me to explore my different creative desires and manual projects. Thanks to her I started music very young, did many sports and dance styles, and quickly fell in love with singing and theatre. Sometimes I needed the tough pushes she gave me when I felt like people were failing me, and she always showed me how to feel safe within me, no need for a boss, a certain teacher or mentor. I almost quit singing at 16 yo, after 8 years of singing, because I felt I was going nowhere and the rejections were too many. After talking about how I felt, she agreed to let me have a “gap year” in my musical career and re-think my position a few months later. Read more>>

Grey Evans

The thing that my parents did right is Everything lol. Making sure not just me but all my siblings feel loved. Read more>>

Sunday Kinslow

Something I think about often is how supportive my parents were of me no matter what. I’ve had so many opportunities to learn and meet people all because I was able to communicate with my parents that I was interested in something new, and their answer was almost always, “Absolutely”. Read more>>

Elizabeth Fons

My parents were always supportive of me and my creative career. I’m endlessly grateful that they not only let me pursue the arts but helped me to take college level drawing classes in high school. They also supported me through Savannah College of Art and Design. I remember calling them for money for project supplies and they never said no to any of my crazy ideas. Once, even a dress made of crystals! Read more>>

Renee Robley

Looking back on my upbringing, I realize my parents’ greatest gift to me wasn’t just love and support—it was the confidence to know who I was, stand by my choices, and navigate the world with resilience. They laid a foundation that has shaped not only my life but also my career, my passions, and now, my own approach to parenting. Read more>>

Felice Pete

I grew up in rural Eastern North Carolina on a farm. Our family didn’t have much but we had a good life. We were able to enjoy a moderate vacation in the summer and I worked on the farms in the summer while out of school. I lost my father to a tragic car accident When I was 12. We were very close. It devastated our small family of four. The thing that my family did, Wright was given us her today Christian belief system, and showing us the Christian Way. My father whose life was cut short at 39 was amazing. He taught me about small business hard work and volunteering. My mother who worked part time, but was there at our home always had a meal for him at lunch and at dinner when he came in. Read more>>

Marcia Agius

My incredible parents were the first people to show me the true meaning of giving, as they always gave from the heart without fanfare . They were generous and kind to everyone around them without ever expecting anything in return. I watched them give kindness to family members, friends and strangers throughout my life. One of my favourite stories was one time my dad went grocery shopping with 2 of my kids, they saw him run across the parking lot to help a pregnant woman with her groceries. She was so grateul to him for the helping hand. They talk about it as such a wonderful memory of how a simple act of kindness towards someone in need can brighten the day of both the giver and the receiver. Read more>>

Motizzy

Well my mother and my brother seen i had an interest in music and they invested in my dream when i was 13. So it made me never want to quit because i felt like i owed it to them as well as myself to keep going. Read more>>

Ashleigh Pandora “AP” Montford

My parents instilled in me the values of resilience, independence, and purpose—and that foundation has shaped everything I do today. They taught me the importance of hard work and perseverance, showing me that nothing is impossible with dedication and the right mindset. No matter what challenges came my way, I always knew that giving up was never an option. Read more>>

Lindsay Rothman

The greatest lesson my parents ever taught me was to let me fail. I almost flunked out of college my first semester because I thought I could coast on charm and just show up for tests. Spoiler alert: that approach didn’t work out—I ended up with makeup classes over the holiday break and had to pay for the rest of my semesters on my own dime. Read more>>

Asha Tarry

My parents gave me guidance, but didn”t control my decisions. They would tell me stories about the past, and ask me questions to help me become a conscious & critical thinker and that, in addition to the ways I was trained by my school teachers and the training I received in undergraduate and graduate school shaped my ability to think critically. Read more>>

Erica Davis

My parents did so much right. I cannot say this enough.

I was fortunate to have grown up in a household with a mom and dad who spared no expense when it came to my extracurricular activities.

I played the piano and the alto saxophone, I’m classically trained in tap, jazz and ballet, was a baton twirler and was a majorette at the University of Georgia. I competed in pageants, oratorical contests, sang in the church choir and was a musical theatre kid. I took tennis lessons. I ran track in high school. And despite having a full calendar for the entirety of my childhood, I was at the top of my class. Read more>>

Larisa Vainberg

Growing up in the USSR, many children, including myself, were raised with a set of shared values that shaped us into who we are today. Respect for the elderly, politeness, hard work, putting others first, and the importance of education were all core principles instilled in us. My parents were no exception—they gave me these values, and I am deeply grateful for how they shaped my character. Read more>>