This week I went in search of inspiring stories of parents who overcame great obstacles to provide a better life for their children. I believe there is something of a superhero in all committed parents, though these stories are often not told. Their efforts are apparent in the successes of their children, however, and luckily for our future, there are countless examples of parents coming through for their children every day.
I learned a couple of new stories of heroic parents as the result of my search, and revisited stories of parents by which I have been inspired before. To stay within the context of this early learning blog, the stories below all involve children 6 and under at some point- their committed parents and the way their actions won the day for their children in the end.
Ana Chavarin- Ana is a Latina woman, a Mexican immigrant who conquered trauma and poverty to provide a better life for her children. She is a champion for adult education, and she and her 4 children are all, at the time of the article, one degree away from accomplishing their goals. Hers is a story you might not know about, but one that will inspire you to know that access to education, employment, and justice can and will help all parent heroes along their way.
Chris Gardener- You might know something about Chris's story from the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness." This is the story of a father of a young child who found himself homeless in San Francisco. Imagine trying to shelter your young child for the night in a BART station bathroom, and you have the gist of Chris's story. Both father and son are hugely successfull businessmen now. Want to know how they did it? Read their story or watch the movie!
Cathy Hughes- Cathy was a teen mother who ended up being the first black woman to own a publicly traded company. She lost her home in her struggle to own/operate a radio station, (now Urban One) bringing her young son to sleep with her at the station. However, she was able to build her business up, branching out to TV as well. Cathy Hughes is an inspiring, self made success who's business-savvy son now also plays a big part in her company.
Erin Brokovich- Erin's story was also made into a film. Julia Roberts won an Academy Award for her portrayal of her. What appeals to me about Erin's story was her willingness to fight. With three young children to care for on her own without child support, that is not easy to do. Add on top of that a major car accident, and you have the setting for where begins her effort to stop PG&E from polluting her family's tap water. Check out this featured post on Erin's Facebook page, and you'll see her with her adult children- that is the success for me.
Josh Shipp- Josh's story isn't necessarily of the parents he had when he was a young child. It's more of a story of the foster parents who didn't give up on him when he was a teenager, and of the parent Josh is now to his young children. Josh is a motivational speaker for teens and parents, and his advice is universal- provide consistency and consequences, his main support for this assertion being that if it worked for him, it could work for anyone. Josh's story is one worth reading- his tagline is "One caring adult," and those adults are very much the parent superheroes that are the topic of this article today.
I hope these stories are as inspirational for you as they are for me- I could totally get more cheesy with the superhero metaphor for parents, but I won't. Just keep doing your best with one of the hardest, most rewarding jobs in the world, and you will easily have a superhero parent story of your own to tell one day, if not already! Next week, I'll get back to more practical advice for parents- how to find a good babysitter!
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