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.

Marc Meadows | Professional Engineer

Our biggest consistency was for the long game. We have always looked way down the road when deciding whether our son could spend the night out, see a certain girl, setting curfews and guidelines on where he could go and what he could do. This was not always popular with him, our friends, our family, or his friends. He was cast out of some circles because of our monitoring of his social media and texts. He turned out really good and is in his second year at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Read more>>

Bishop Dr. Shevoyd and Anjie Hamilton | CEO & President of The Metro Report and Pastor & Wife of Straightway Christian Church

We have two adult children, ages 27 and 36. The most important thing with the most impact we have done for our children is to live a Godly life. We have been serving as pastor and wife of Straightway Christian Church for 24 years and we have shown them through our words and actions how to be loving, compassionate and generous. They understand what it means to sacrifice one’s self for others and how to serve others. They are well adjusted, self-sufficient adults who are ambitious, thoughtful, polite, giving and productive. As parents, you can’t ask for much for than that. Read more>>

Jeremy Smith | Realtor/ Team Leader/ ICON Agent with eXp Realty

I think the most important thing I have done as a parent to impact my children has been to show them the value of determination and dedication. All of my children were born well before I started my business. They have watched us struggle from pay check to pay check and share steaks at the dinner table to now living a very comfortable lifestyle, owning several rental properties and helping others change their lives through real estate. That lesson of starting on the bottom and putting in the hard work to make it up the ladder is now engrained in my 4 children. They know that you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to but it will take hard work and dedication. Read more>>