Hi Dorleta,
This is actually an extremely difficult question for me. It should feel intuitive but it’s not. Honestly it’s like for the past couple of years probably since I’ve moved to Paris I’ve lived with this strange fear that I’m somehow not living up to my parents’ expectations. I’m sure that if they heard me say that they’d be like of course not!!
Buttttt I’ve spent a lot of these years almost behaving like a teenager again, experimenting with my identity, being a bitch most of the time, questioning who I am, how I want to feel, what I want to do, how I want to dress.
I’ve made choices I know they wouldn’t necessarily approve of, and I think part of me is still afraid of disappointing them. My parents are probably the most humbling presence in my life. Around most people, I can be very unfiltered. I act like I don’t care what people think, and to an extent I really don’t.
With my parents I really question myself. LIKE CORE LEVEL ... Their opinion matters to me in a completely different way. Same thing for my sister Yara.
When I think about what they’ve actually taught me, though, so much of it comes down to how you treat other people.
Be respectful. Be kind. Always. Both of my parents work with a lot of people and have spent their lives constantly interacting with others, and I think watching them probably planted something in me that eventually became part of this project too: this curiosity about people, and the belief that everyone deserves to be approached with respect. At the same time, my mom has always tried to teach me to be careful with kindness. Being kind doesn’t mean allowing people to take advantage of you you know?
And another thing she has always repeated, especially when it comes to my sister, is simply: love each other. This one stays with me a lot. My relationship with my sister is probably one of the strongest bonds in my life, and it’s something I try to protect every day. So maybe that’s what my parents gave me: love your family, respect people, stay kind, but don’t let kindness make you disappear.
What’s yours??
xxx