I never had a curfew. My mom considered curfews permissive. She preferred accountability. When I left the house with a new boy for a new activity, the conversation always began, “What time will you be home?”

“I don’t know,” I’d respond.

“Well, let’s figure it out,” she’d say. “What time does the movie start?”

I’d give her the time.

Then, “How long will it take you to drive to Jamie’s party?” and so on we’d reason until we came to the same reasonable conclusion, given the night’s agenda.

When I was tempted to deviate from the plan we’d outlined together, I knew I’d face questions that would not stop until she had the full details.

Being fully accountable was restricting at the time, yet liberating for a lifetime of decisions.

This lesson “caught on the fly” served as just one of many learned about faith, friends, and fortitude throughout childhood and adolescence before going off to college, marrying, and raising my own family.

As we approach this Thanksgiving season, always a nostalgic a time to gather with family members, I can’t help but recall with gratitude these wonderful gifts of great parenting from my mom and dad. I hope you too have equally wonderful memories—lessons you’ve learned from watching your parents’ examples, traits you admire in their personalities, conversations you’ve had with them that prepared you for difficult times in your life, and incidents that gave you new insights about how business or the world works.

And most of all, of course, I’m grateful to God for these memories, for my family, and for our freedom to live in this country and communicate our beliefs openly.

Your Thanksgiving meal would be a wonderful time to share those recollected memories with your parents and other family members. Guaranteed, it’ll make their day!