Parenting is an incredibly important responsibility and so we wanted to get a conversation going with input from parents in the community. We asked them: what is the most important thing you’ve done as a parent? We’ve highlighted some of the responses below.

Mariapia Malerba | Multidisciplinary Artist

I am, indeed, a mother to my wonderful son Giulio. The most important thing I’ve done as a mother stems from something my father did for me. You may have heard that many artists take inspiration from dreams. I am no exception. After my father died, he came to me in a vivid dream. I was walking fast, panting along an endless bridge, trying to catch up to my two friends far ahead of me moving off toward the horizon. No matter how hard I pushed I couldn’t reach them. Then an eagle swooped down and perched on the bannister next to me. Oddly, he was wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the American flag. Then the eagle spoke, and my father’s voice said: “why do you put all this effort into walking when you can fly!?” No sooner had the words left his beak than I took flight like an eagle and gazed down on the earth from above in amazement. When the dream ended, the message was clear. Read more>>

Eden Westbrook | Classically Trained Chef, Founder & Editor in Chief of Popular Comfort Food Blog Sweet Tea + Thyme

I became financially literate. I’ve found most people my age and from my parents’ generation and beyond aren’t financially literate and therefore cannot teach their children how to. Learning how to save, invest, and spend my money wisely so it’s also working for me, while also knowing how to maneuver around things like debt, credit cards, and the like, is a skillset my husband and I are able to pass on to our son and future children so they are prepared to thrive in their future. Read more>>

Poesis Po | Photographer

The most important thing that I have done as a parent in terms of impact, will ultimately be decided by my children at some point in the future, however my goal has always been to make sure my words concerning love, compassion, hard work and logic are consistent with my actions. I believe most parents want their children to grow up to be productive members of society, and the best way to accomplish this is to lead by example. Children are sponges and will absorb most of the data that they are presented, and I am always cognizant of the image of myself that I present to my children. I want my children to live up to their potential, and I feel the best way they can accomplish that is to watch me live up to mine. Read more>>