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.

Sarah Esim

My parents encouraged me to study something that would allow me to make a consistent, predictable living. In my 20s, I learned that living gig to gig was not for me, so I am glad that I invested in my law degree. Read more>>

Emil Gasparian

My parents taught me the power of curiosity. They encouraged me to ask questions, explore new ideas, and never settle for the obvious answer. That mindset has shaped my career and the way I approach challenges.
I remember when I was young, my father would always ask, “What if?”—pushing me to think beyond the surface. That habit stuck with me, and it’s helped me innovate, adapt, and find creative solutions in ways I never expected. Read more>>

Raven “Ray$av” Ancar

One of the biggest things my mom did right was choosing to walk alongside me as both a parent and a business partner. Instead of forcing me into a traditional path or doubting my dreams, she believed in my vision early on, not just as her daughter but as a creator and entrepreneur. That support gave me the confidence to fully pursue my passions in music, business, and now consulting. A great example of this is the podcast we started together, Momager and Me. It is a reflection of our real relationship. She is not just my mom; she is my manager, my stylist, my sounding board, and my accountability partner. Read more>>

Kirsten Borketey

Growing up, my mum would often call me into the kitchen, assigning me small tasks to help with dinner and mainly to the roadside food business . At first, I found it challenging, even harsh, but she patiently guided me through every step. As time passed, I grew to love the process, and our kitchen sessions became special bonding moments.Years went by, and my mum passed on, but the gift she left me has become a cornerstone of my life. Cooking, which was once a chore, has evolved into a passion and even a brand that represents me.Everytime I cook, I’m reminded of my mum’s love and dedication. The aromas, flavors, and techniques she taught me transport me back to those kitchen moments, filling my heart with warmth and gratitude. May her soul rest easy. Read more>>

Pjay Phillips

My mother and father were both creatives and taught me to lean into my talents. My mother was a talented seamstress who created many costumes for performers and private clients. My father was a painter and decorator, one of the first contractors of color to hold a City and County contract. They taught me what it takes to use my creativity to build my creative brand. Read more>>

Kerry Simmons

My parents encouraged me fully in my artistic interests and never discouraged me from pursuing art as a career. I understand it’s common for parents to insist their children study something practical and reject the idea that it is possible to work full-time as an artist. I’ve had to work “regular” jobs but I did not grow up with the idea that being a professional artist is impossible. When I was a child my mom got me a subscription to the Artist’s Magazine, arranged art lessons, and allowed me to purchase professional paints from the Blick catalogue. I still remember getting my first set of “real” tube paints and how exciting that was. Read more>>

Chill Moody

My parents gave me grace. They showed me at an early age they trusted me, trusted my decision making, trusted that “I would figure it out”. The support that came from them just giving me the space to learn, fail, succeed, fail again, all of that it means the world to me. When I graduated college I sat with them both and explained that I would take a year off to just follow my passion and they gave me their blessing. They never stood in my way, and that was the greatest way they could have ever helped me honestly. Read more>>

Maddie Bilbo

Considering that I did not have a family that could take care of me from birth to 18 months, my parents did the right thing by adopting me to give me a loving home. Apparently I had “O” legs, where my legs bowed out when I stood because I was extremely malnourished. I also had straw-like hair and paper thin nails. With the proper nutrition and exercise as a 1.5-2 year old, those issues thankfully resolved and I became a happy, healthy, and active baby. Read more>>

Jenni Shaw

Truth be told, my parents were strict workaholics when I was a child. This impacted me in myriad ways because I inherited their penchant for hard work, but also developed the capacity to understand and beat systems. I was a creative, curious kid who didn’t enjoy restriction so where there were rules and roadblocks I learned to circumnavigate them. The more I was told “no” the more I was determined to create the experience of “yes”. My parents inadvertently honed my innate entrepreneurial skills by generating a desire in me to breakdown walls, barriers and constructs that didn’t suit my insatiable drive to explore. Read more>>

Madeline Gourley

Growing up, my parents were all about health and wellness. We always had home-cooked, balanced meals and were encouraged to participate in school and club sports. My three sisters and I were the odd ones at school with our Thermos lunches filled with dinner leftovers – always a healthy, elaborate affair. We cringed at the time (smelly lunch kid wasn’t cool!), but now I have a different perspective on those lunches and family dinners. Growing up a club swimmer and student-athlete, I experienced the intensity and aptitude that goes into physical wellness. The ability to wake up at 4:00 am every day for high school swim practice is a skill I no longer practice, but boy, did it teach me a thing or two about time management and discipline! Read more>>

Angelina Grevi

My dad and my grandmother raised me on their own throughout most of my adolescent life. No matter what career I wanted to pursue as a kid: scientist, painter, clothing designer, they supported me 110% with gifts and activities to stimulate my interest. When I wanted to be a scientist, my grandmother bought me a lab coat with my name embroidered on it, and my dad purchased a monthly subscription of science activities to engage with over the summer. My switch to the arts transformed my room into a studio, filled with paints, canvases, and completed pieces all around the walls. With every passion came unwavering support for creativity from my family. This continued into high school and college, aligning with my decision to pursue multimedia creation. Read more>>

Roe Vision

From the very beginning, my mother has been the foundation of my artistic journey. One thing she absolutely did right was nurture my gifts from a very young age. She told me she knew I could draw by the time I was just 3 years old, and from that moment on she did everything she could to support and develop that gift. I didn’t grow up with a mother who saw being an artist as unrealistic or “not a real job”. Instead, she always encouraged me to trust my talents and follow what makes me happy. Her wholehearted belief in me and her choice to let me grow into the artist and creative I am, even to this day, is something that will always stay with me. I’m forever grateful for her love and support. Read more>>

Jon Yadon

Everything. My parents are incredible, and I’ve always been super close with both of them—as well as my sister. The older I get, the more I realize how rare that is, and I’m beyond thankful. Their support, values, and love have shaped who I am in life and in my career. Read more>>

Emily Soukhanouvong

I come from a family of immigrant parents who came to the U.S. from Laos during their teenage years, amid the aftermath of the Vietnam War. As their child, I grew up in a household layered with multiple cultural identities, often navigating the complex tension of being “American enough,” “Lao enough,” or “Asian enough.” These experiences shaped not only my identity, but also my passion for diversity, my understanding of adversity, and my comfort with nuance. They helped me sit with the complexities of what it means to exist as a human being—especially with a minority identity. This perspective has deeply informed my work as a psychologist. Read more>>

Kayla Thompson

My parents always supporting and encouraging my artistic journey is something that I believe they did right, leading me to where I am today. Growing up I would always draw, from people to scenes, to even the classic drawing with crayons on the wall. From there I was in art school, from middle school through college. I was trained in traditional art, learning how to render still lives and people, in a variety of different 2D media. In high school I was able to further explore my interests in portraiture and figurative work, through drawing, painting and clay sculpture. Along the way I had other hobbies (almost as expensive as painting) such as jewelry making and crochet. Read more>>

María Gabriela Rondón

I believe my parents have been a fundamental part of my upbringing, giving me the foundation to understand that only through hard work and honesty can you achieve anything you set your mind to. Read more>>

Jules Wortman

My parents have been such a rock solid foundation for me as a human, all the way around. While, at times, I wanted to run from their parenting, it was the best I could have asked for. The toughness, the honesty, the curves, the discipline, the Christian household, the “you will learn” and the encouragement molded me into who I am today. It was not easy and boy did I figure a lot of things out the hard way, but all-in-all the approach to parenting my brother and me made us the people we are today. Such cool and smart people. Love them. Read more>>

Seth Harlem

My dad always told me that “it’s not what you do; but how you do what you do.” In other words, whether you are flipping burgers or curing disease, what matters most is doing things with integrity and real commitment. This advice has had such a profound impact not only on how I make my own career decisions but on how I hire and assess people. In hiring and assessing performance, it’s not only about credentials, experience, and ultimately hitting numbers; integrity is the foundation of it all. Read more>>

Nicolette Rich Gregory

Like others in today’s society, I spent a decent part of my 20’s blaming my parents for everything that was going wrong in my life. I even blamed them for my self-sabotaging, temper tantrums and the lack of pursing my dreams. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I began to appreciate my parents on a deeper level. I began to see my parents as living, learning, & growing human beings. Human beings aim to overcome obstacles and tests that are put forth along the variety of paths in their lives. Before, I looked to them to be perfect and everything they had taught me to be..at least. Instead, I saw flawed, hypocritical individuals. Read more>>

Ben Barlow

My dad and mom taught me what it means to work hard, to serve others and to keep life simple. They helped me focus on what is most important in life. I don’t grow up with parents that were extremely entrepreneurial. My dad was a teacher and my mom was a stay at home mom for the most part growing up.  Read more>>

David Verdu

Growing up as the sixth of eight boys in the Bay Area was nothing short of an adventure. I truly believe I had the best childhood imaginable, filled with laughter, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging. A huge part of that was due to my parents, who were deeply involved and respected figures in our community. My Dad, especially, was a force – as the President of Youth Sports in the North Bay, he shaped the lives of countless kids, including mine. I have so many fond memories of traveling with him, listening to him speak with passion and conviction, and witnessing firsthand the positive impact he had on so many. Read more>>

Jake Bass

My parents have always believed in me since I expressed my interest in music. When I was eight, they gifted me my first drum set, and I was instantly captivated. My dad would introduce me to various instruments and teach me the basics of each. Once I had a solid foundation, we would select one for me to own and practice diligently until I mastered it. They never discouraged my passion for music; instead, they embraced it wholeheartedly. Read more>>

GRACIE BINION

My parents have always championed what I’ve been passionate about. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been loud. I’ve always loved performing. I wanted to dance, they put me in classes. I wanted to act, they put me in classes. I wanted to sing, they put me in classes. My parents believed in me- they believed that God had a purpose for my gift, and they didn’t fail to invest in that. I’m forever grateful for that. Read more>>

Alexandre Donot-Saby

My biggest chance growing up was to have parents who shared diverse centers of interest but who were very supportive of one another. My father was a serious runner. In his youth, he was a 1500m champion and, in his forties, ran the New York City Marathon in less than 2h40 mins! He was like a hero to us. And he got us all into running. We would go up in the hills around Saint-Etienne, my hometown in France on the weekends. Read more>>

Moriah Joy

My parents know how to show up well. I can close my eyes and still hear my dad’s whistle that would ring through the auditorium after I’d take a bow. They taught me the value of being present. And their presence became a gift they were so willing to give over and over again. Every middle school play, high school band concert, and living room performance, they were there. But not just there, they were invested. And they did the same for my brother, wearing all of our college’s merch like it was it’s own clothing line. They were excited to be our parents. Whenever my dad and I are alone together, he’ll ask me “What’s it like being Moriah these days? Read more>>

Gayela Bynum

My mother brought me up to be self-sufficient, independent, industrious and committed to give back to the community! My father passed away from a major heart attack 4 months before I was born. Mother was a teacher prior to marrying my father, after he passed away, she enrolled in the University of Oklahoma to pursue her Masters Degree in education. After earning her degree, she began teaching in a financially challenged school in Oklahoma City where she felt she could make the biggest impact on the students she taught. In addition to teaching basic subjects, she taught social skills and manners. Read more>>

Chelsea Lightbourn

My parents have had the biggest impact on my career. They have been by my side for everything in my life and continue to be the shining pillar behind my desire to help people. The main thing that my parents did right, is the investment they have had in nurturing, advocating, encouraging and supporting my brothers and I. They’ve encouraged me in all areas of my life, but my mental health journey would not have been the same without them. When I was 5 years old, like my brothers, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a.k.a. ADHD. This term is thrown around a lot nowadays, as a colloquial/layman’s term for “spacing out, getting distracted, and/or being forgetful and lazy”. It is often seen as a disability by many, however, due in large part to my parents, I’ve never seen it that way and I have harnessed it into my “super power”. Read more>>

Brandon Taylor

As I reflect on my journey to becoming a fitness enthusiast, I am reminded of the countless individuals who have played a significant role in shaping my values, work ethic, and passion for health and wellness. But there’s one person who stands out from the rest – my mother. She’s the unsung hero who laid the foundation for my love of fitness, and I’m forever grateful for the lessons she taught me. Read more>>

Ajayi Pickering-Haynes

I appreciate this question, because I think it’s easy for us to name and re-call what our parents didn’t do right. It’s easy to name the gaps they gave us, yet so much of our journey, resilience, and path can also be found in the gifts they gave us. And as I reflect on my childhood and upbringing it’s become clearer to me how my parents laid the foundation for my personal growth. When I was coming up in school, I was different from my peers in a few ways. One being that I came from a household of vegetarians, from parents who did not eat meat. Not eating meat was a lot less common back then. And although I’m no longer vegetarian, my parents gifted me with an understanding of how valuable health and wellness was. Read more>>

Arianna R

My parents always instilled in us the value of faith above all else, and the belief that everything works out the way it’s supposed to. They taught me that if you have talent, intelligence, and a wise work ethic, your hard work will ALWAYS pay off eventually. Growing up, my siblings and I were encouraged to follow our dreams and were never confined to a traditional mindset when it came to our careers. Creativity was not just accepted in our household- it was celebrated and placed at the center of how we were raised. Read more>>

Marlowe Taylor

My parents did something truly special for me they let me chase my passion. When I first fell in love with DJing, they didn’t just support me; they set me up with my own private space where my friends could come over, watch me spin, bust some raps on the mic, and just create cool music. It was so dope. I’ll never forget my dad watching me scratch records, spin around, and even put my mouth on the Dj-mixer, he ask my mom in pure bewilderment, “Why is Marlowe doing that? Over and over? What’s going onnnn?” and who is “Mauly T “, is that some kind of artist name, haha! My mom, always believing in me, just smiled and said, “He’s practicing to be a great, and his name is not Marlowe its DJ. Mauly T”. Read more>>

JANDIZ ESTRADA CARDOSO

My mother was the first of her family to immigrate from Lebanon and my father was the first of his, from a tiny province in northern Philippines that has its own dialect (Pangalatok) spoken only by roughly 2 Million people worldwide.
One of the greatest decisions they made in their lives was to cross the earthly 1970s, put trust in the unknown, and find the means that matched their will. Read more>>

Alina Adams

My parents and I immigrated from the Soviet Union to the US in 1977. What my parents did right was demonstrate two things: How to work hard, and how to work hard doing something you love. For our first few years in America, my father worked three jobs: A day job, a night job, and a weekend job. He never complained about needing to work hard. It was necessary, so he did it. Eventually, he narrowed it down to just one job, but it was always clear that he enjoyed it, even when there were setbacks and frustrations. My mother, who had been a chemistry teacher in the USSR, retrained to be a computer programmer in the US. I remember her talking about how much she loved the challenges and the puzzles that came with it. Read more>>

Nicole Mölders

My Dad inspired my interest in science and nature, while my Mom got me interested in creating things. She pursued sewing, stitching, and knitting and taught me to do the same. Both parents were active in sports and, before having kids, in painting. Dad was interested in shortwave radio, the Moon landing, astronomy, math, and gardening. He permitted me to watch the Moon landing and all Moon missions thereafter. We watched the Moon through his telescope; Dad taught me the star formations and always answered my science-related questions. One day, one shortwave broadcast discussed diverting the Siberian rivers to the South to irrigate the deserts. This irrigation would alter the weather. This time, my why question remained unanswered. Read more>>

Priya Ahluwalia

I was born and raised in Delhi, India, when societal norms for people were strictly defined. Many were expected to follow a predetermined path shaped by tradition, which often limited their ambitions and independence. However, my parents refused to let these norms dictate my future. They encouraged me to embrace my curiosity, foster my independence, and dream beyond the constraints of society, empowering me to carve my own path. Read more>>

Neelam Bhella

My parents have been a constant source of love, encouragement and inspiration up until this very day. The amount of love and respect I have for them cannot be measured in any way or written with words alone. My father was born in 1940 in what would become Pakistan after partition and had to move to India in very ill health with his family, leaving everything behind, when the subcontinent was finally free from the British in 1947. He faced much hardship during his childhood but also constant love from his own father (my grandfather). My dad had been a school teacher when he told his family that he had the opportunity to move abroad for a better future. So he emigrated alone to England in 1964 at 24 years old with only the equivalent of $3 U.S. in his pocket (that’s all he was allowed to bring into the country).  Read more>>

Jaeya Bayani

My parents were both 21 years old when they had me, and they’ve always given their best effort to nurture me into a creative, critically thinking individual who lives by compassion and kindness. They gave me the gift of learning how to be an adult by growing up with them as they learned how to be adults, which has informed me on what family norms and personal boundaries I want to carry forward in my life. My parents are my greatest teachers and the first loves of my life. They are my heart. Read more>>

Blake Pfeil

My latest body of work, All-American Ruins, is a direct result of my parents’ encouragement to go outside and use my imagination. As kids, we lived in the foothills of the Rockies, and an abandoned dairy farm down the hill from my house served as a makeshift sanctuary where I learned to talk to ghosts and play pretend. Almost a spiritual practice, my time spent inside the abandoned dairy farm became my original exposure to the underbelly of American history, as told by its ruins, and I developed an obsession with the way American ruins made me feel, almost like a familiar longing for a time and place that wasn’t my own. (A sensation unofficially described as “anemoia” in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.) Read more>>

Jarrel Phillips

My parents did so many things right. So much of what I do today is because of them.
1. They introduced me to capoeira when I was a kid.
2. Took us on vacations to places like Jamaica.
3. Put me and my brothers in programs like the African American Art and Culture Complex where I was exposed to African history and heritage pertaining to the continent and the diaspora, including in an American context. Read more>>