Parents are often blamed or credited for the way their adult children behave, the success that they have, and the misfortunes they experience. We often look to the parents to see where someone's values come from and to see who is "responsible" for the type of person one becomes. 人们往往认为，子女成年后的行为举止是否得当在于父母的教育，他们的成功归功于父母栽培有方，而他们经历的不幸归咎于父母的失责。要了解一个人的价值观是如何形成的，要想知道是谁造就了他现在的性格，我们往往可以从这个人的父母身上找到答案。
Parents of Barack Obama Barack Obama's parents have been the subjects of questions ever since his entrance into the presidential race. He was born on August 4, 1961 to Barack Obama Sr., a black Kenyan, and Stanley Ann Dunham, a white woman from Wichita, Kansas. According to articles found at Time.com and MSNBC.com, Obama's father left the family when he was 2 years old and then saw him only one time when he was 10 years old. His mother was apparently a stronger influence in his life. She took Obama with her when she married an Indonesian man, Lolo Soetoro, when Obama was six years old. Soetoro was apparently a loving stepfather, but Obama left Indonesia to return to Hawaii and live with his grandparents when he was 10 years old . His mother soon returned to Hawaii, to live with Obama and his grandparents, until she left again when he was 14 years old. She is described as a very positive, intelligent person, one who grew in her confidence and outspokeness1) over the years, and consistently approached issues from the perspective of how things could be done versus2) what problems and barriers existed. Barack and his sister both explain that their mother did all she could to keep them in touch with their heritage, and informed of3) issues related to their race, and did not view people based upon stereotypes4).
Parents of Albert Einstein According to information found at HyperHistory.net and SparkNotes.com, theoretical physicist Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 to Hermann and Pauline Koch Einstein in Ulm5), Germany. They were a middle class German Jewish family although the parents did not actually practice6) the faith7). His father was a feather bed merchant for a number of years and later moved the family to Munich to join one of Einstein's uncles in an electrical engineering business. Einstein's mother was a musician. It's interesting to note that neither parent appeared to have any significant knowledge or aptitude8) for science or math. Both of his parents were primarily interested in Einstein's academic progress, and he seemed to enjoy support related to this from the extended family; from financial support to the provision9) of educational materials his schools failed to provide. He was reportedly dyslexic10) and had limited verbal skills for many years. Both he and his parents had to ignore the negative reports from teachers and find different schools in order to succeed.
Parents of Lewis Hamilton If you're an F1 fan you probably know a good deal about Lewis Hamilton, and also about the support of his father. Lewis was born on January 7, 1985 in Stevenage Hertfordshire (UK) to Carmen and Anthony. His father first worked on the London Underground11), but his parents separated when he was only 2 years old. He went to live with his father and his stepmother Linda from the age of 10 on. He received his first go-kart12) when he was only six and began racing competitively by age 8. His father, Anthony, conveyed to Lewis the need to take an "honest" and "positive" approach to issues. He agreed to support all of Lewis' racing endeavors so long as he worked hard in school. At one point, Anthony is said to have worked as many as three jobs at one time to provide the financial backing that was needed. He also helped to manage Lewis' career and attended every race. Hard work was the way Lewis was taught to achieve his dreams. To this day, Lewis' father can be seen at his F1 events cheering him on.
Parents of Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham was born to Dorothy and Hugh Rodham on October 26, 1947 in Park Ridge Illinois. According to WhiteHouse.gov page, her parents, Republicans, raised her to work hard and urged her to select any career that she wished to pursue. Hillary seemed to strive hard to meet the high expectations of her father. According to Hillary Clinton, her parents are described as being frugal13), partiotic14) and religious. Of course, some accounts also describe her father as authoritarian, sarcastic15), demeaning16), and verbally abusive17). Hillary's mother was more nurturing18), and she managed to endure her husband's verbal abuse and stay with him. Dorothy, it is reported, was "intellectually broadminded" and even pursued further education and other developmental activities as she became a grandmother.
Parents of Michael Phelps Anyone who watched the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing saw Michael Phelps' mother watching from the stands. Phelps was born June 30, 1985, near Baltimore, Maryland to Fred and Debbie Phelps. According to a JockBio article, Fred Phelps was a state trooper19) and a pretty good athlete himself. Debbie Phelps was a well respected middle school teacher and later, a principal20). Both parents got their children (Michael and his two sisters) involved in swimming at a young age. However, by the time Michael was 9 years old his parents were divorced. After this he lived with his mother and sisters, all of whom were supportive and good role models for hard work. As he got a bit older, he also developed a strong relationship with his coach Bob Bowman, who also played a role in developing his outstanding sportsmanship. Debbie Phelps described herself as a stern21) mother, but one who also lets her kids take part in making decisions. She never gave up on her son when others voiced concerns about his ability to do well in school due to his attention difficulties.