The Mom of Elon Musk Shared How to Raise Successful Kids

Social media sensation and cover girl model Maye Musk is, at age 72, still an absolute star in her own right. Although she doesn’t brag about her own life much, she loves to share how proud she is of everything her 3 kids have accomplished. Elon Musk, a well-known entrepreneur, his brother Kimbal, who owns multiple restaurants, and sister Tosca, a filmmaker and media entrepreneur, have achieved a lot in life so far. When hearing about a family that is so successful, we can’t help but wonder what their childhood was like. And it turns out that their success all started right at the source, as they have been brought up by a real power-women.

In her new book A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success, the mother of 3 reflects back on her life and reveals some surprising parenting advice which we at Bright Side are very excited to share with you.

At a young age her kids were taught the importance of working hard.

For Maye, it started at age 31 when she was left to raise her 3 children as a single mother. To provide for her kids, she worked as a dietitian. “I never felt guilty about working full-time,” she says, “because I didn’t have a choice. Taking care of my children was the top priority.” In a way, her kids benefited from her work ethic, as they quickly learned how important it was to work hard and with determination.

...and to be independent, kind, and honest.

She not only brought up her children to be hard workers, but also to be independent, kind, and honest. “From a young age, the kids helped me with my nutrition business. [...] As they got older, they continued to take responsibility for their own futures through the decisions they made. My kids benefited because they saw me work hard just to put a roof over our heads.” She expressed that doing good for others is the trick and her kids saw her doing that as a dietitian and as their mom.

But the most important thing is that you should let your children go their own way.

When people ask her how she raised such successful kids, she tells them it is all about hard work and most of all about letting them follow their interests. Her message is that, in the end, it is the most important that your children are happy and not stressed out because they’re working on a subject that their parents want them to do, but they don’t. “I would love for my 3 children to be dietitians and open offices with me and live next door to me. But that’s not going to happen,” she said.

In the end their success is indeed rooted in what they loved as kids.

“When they were younger, Elon would take a book and read. Tosca would hang around me, and Kimbal would be picking up the peppers and smelling them and saying, “Aaah[...] I could not have predicted Tesla or SpaceX or Kimbal’s restaurants, the Kitchen or Big Green, or Tosca’s Passionflix. But now I see what Elon is accomplishing with technology, what Kimbal is building in the world of food, and what Tosca is doing with movies; all of it is rooted in what they loved as kids.”

What do you think about the way Maye Musk raised her children? And what would you say is your secret to good parenting?