We asked some of the best parents we know to tell us about the most important thing they’ve done as parents and have shared their wisdom below.

Ryan Bourgeois | Family Nurse Practitioner

Teaching them to have faith. When leaving my previous company, that was paying well, to start a new company of my own my two daughters asked, “how are we going to pay for everything?” I quoted Matthew 6:26-27 ‘Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable?’ Starting my first and only company is by far the largest leap of faith I’ve taken in my career. I’m extremely happy that I did because it has changed the lives of me and my family. I constantly remind my daughters of the leap of faith taken hoping they too can see that work plus faith equals success. Jame 2:26 ‘Faith without works is dead.’ Read more>>

Sheila Jackson | Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist, & Educator

The most important thing I’ve done as a parent and stepparent in terms of impact on my children is to love them first and foremost, and then demonstrate perseverance in the face of hard times and setbacks. I believe they really need both to grow and learn how to navigate real-world stuff. So, I’ve done the best I’ve known how along the way to be present in their lives and made it a point to (1) embrace who they are as individuals, (2) listen to them and learn from their perspective and (3) foster skills that help them steer through life, mitigate stress rather than run from it, and reach their desired goals. Read more>>

Ashante’ Montgomery | Owner of The Loc Movement Natural Hair Salon and Love Movement Therapy and Coaching, PLLC

I believe the most important thing I’ve done is to maintain a desire to put myself in a position to be fully free and available to my son – physically, emotionally, and financially. My previously chosen professional career became very overwhelming and I felt myself becoming more and more burnt out. I made a decision that before I got to the point of no return, I would begin transitioning into a lifestyle that would provide freedom for the both of us. I’m not fully there yet, but starting my own businesses is definitely the beginning of that. Recently I walked away from the part time job I had pursued to supplement income while building my businesses, but it was even more taxing than how I was managing before. So I had to make a decision to step out on faith and make the move that would benefit the growth of my own personal agenda and, in turn, help me work my way to the freedom I’ve been seeking. And now I look up and I realize….it’s really happening. Read more>>