Quotes About Upbringing

I remember him watching me through the crack of a door singing with a hairbrush. I was in front of his mirror. I think he wanted me to sing. He would get me on the table and make me sing sometimes or play the piano. He was very encouraging on that front.

I was raised before the advent of DVD players in cars and iPads at the dinner table.

I have a different mentality when it comes to catering to a man, I just won't allow it. Don't get me wrong, I'll do for you but I'm not taking care of no man and catering to him for life; he better be bringing something to the table. I learned that from my mother and my grandmother.

My parents never condescended to me. As a child, I always sat at the head of our dinner table. I was always given a lot of responsibility.

Not to psychologize, but it's hard growing up in a family of 14 to ever feel like you're the center of the universe, or that you're that special or different. Because when it comes down to it, you're still fighting for food at the dinner table.

I grew up thinking my father was tacky. There was no color coordination. It was whatever was cool. 'These sweatpants are cool. I'll wear them with these shoes that are cool.' He had less inhibitions. I wasn't respectful of his swag then.

I rejected being a lot of things that I grew up in, and yet I didn't. I got all my tactics from where I grew up... I can talk about all the people in those environments more than I can talk about the teachers at Juilliard or anyone else.

My father was a tailor, my mother a machinist.

Even though I grew up in America, at home we spoke mostly Chinese, because my mom is from Taiwan.

I was born and raised on a farm, where boys had chores and girls did not, i.e., drive tractors, bale hay, take care of cattle.

Being able to take care of myself is something that my mom really instilled in me.

If you don't show care and love for your children and leave the mothers to take care of all their needs, if they grow up, they will also not consider you.

One thing I think kids need to do is more chores, and take care of their own rooms. Responsibilities are really important to start them with. If they have animals, they have to feed them and care for them. That's the only way I think I could do it.

Kids are born into the situation they're born into, and obviously, they have no control over that. And we, as adults, it's up to us to take care of kids - that's part of your moral responsibility. I always tell people, 'There's two groups we should take care of - old people and young people.'

I'm the seventh child of George and Leona Douglas, and I don't ever remember a time when my father didn't work two jobs. When my mother was going to the grocery, or going to Mass, or trying to take care of seven kids in a run-down farmhouse.

My parents weren't around much, but I assumed everybody's family was the same. I didn't know people had mummies and daddies who would give them milk and cookies after school. I just thought everybody lived on Central Park West and they had a nanny to take care of them.

I give to panhandlers on occasion, especially around the holidays, but have always been involved with charity, which was an important part of the way I was brought up. My siblings and I knew early on in life that we were incredibly fortunate and have never taken that for granted, so we recognize the importance of giving back.

As a mother in the 1950s, she did not impose the same strict religious routine on myself and my brother, Mark, though we were taken to church and Sunday school.

It was taken for granted that we had to make something of ourselves. Not much was said about it; it was just in the atmosphere of the home.

My mom brought me up to believe that my talent is a gift and a blessing.

I grew up with four sisters - four very talented and intelligent sisters - and two parents that were very supportive of whatever we wanted to do.

I've always been a happy-go-lucky person. I haven't got any dark tales, I didn't draw on my own past, I'm from a very normal stable background and had an amazing childhood, and I haven't got any complaints really.

I come from a background where you don't really talk about yourself much.

My parents are actors and never brought work home. I didn't even know what they did until I was about 10 years old. We never talked about it.