The Parent Trap

DELORIS JORDAN

Teaching Michael a lesson

When Michael was about 13, he went off campus with some friends to get candy and got caught. The principal told us that he was expelled for going off campus. We decided Michael had to learn a lesson about following rules--not friends. So instead of letting him stay home and watch TV, I took him to work with me, left him in the car with his books and windows rolled down. My office was by the parking lot so I could see him, and he hated it. But he never followed friends again.

WILL SMITH

Parents build self-esteem

I think the reason I've been successful is my family. A lot of people are really unsure whether or not someone loves them. That puts you in a really weird mental place, if you can't point to one person or two people and say, "I know for a fact that they love me." There's a certain level of confidence that comes from knowing for a fact that someone loves you. And my parents always made us feel like we were good. From that, succeeding is just, all right, how can I let the world know?