Taking the pulse of Greater Orlando parents and their kids

Each month, Talking Orlando speaks with parents and children throughout Greater Orlando to get their thoughts on a variety of subjects. This time, we asked participants:

If you could give your children one piece of lasting advice, what would it be?

“Don’t change who you are just to fit in the box.”

—Amy Krug, mother of Jordan and Taylor (ages 7 and 4)

“Have a balance in life, staying true to who you are, and work hard and have fun.”

—Catherine, mother of twin girls (age 9)

“Stay in school. Be kindhearted. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Just be a good person all the way around.”

—Kayla Cobb and Daniel Liveratore, parents of Aiden and Jayce (ages 7 and 1 month)

“Always be honest and true to yourself. It always works itself out.”

—Summer Simmons, mother of Asher and Maya (ages 7 and 4)

“Choose kindness.”

—Tayman Menke, mother of Maggie and Bradford (ages 5 and 3)

“Always put God first, and always seek him to pray for wisdom. And, respect others.”

—Scherrille Baldwin, mother of Allen, Aaden, Aaylin (ages 8, 6 and 1)

“It’s OK to make mistakes. The best thing you can do when you feel like you mess up or that you didn’t meet the goal that you hoped is to try again and to never give up.”

—Courtney Poppell, mother of Rileigh, Grace and Charlotte (ages 7, 4 and 1)

“Treat people how you want to be treated. Put friendship and family first. Always be willing to help somebody even if you need help yourself.”

—Cindy Padilla-Farber, mother of Samuel and Benjamin (ages 10 and 5)

“We’re trying to instill hard work in them. So, work hard to get what you want. If you work hard and be true to yourself, then you should have a good life.”

—Megan Hendy, mother of Adalie, Alina and Aria (ages 7, 4 and 8 months)

This article originally appeared in Orlando Family Magazine’s April 2017 issue.