I'm lucky I have really cool parents.

The artist Charli XCX, a voice of modern music and creativity, once said with youthful sincerity: “I’m lucky I have really cool parents.” Though her words are simple, they carry a truth as old as humankind — that behind every spirit who dares to shine stands the quiet strength of those who first nurtured their light. In this brief statement lies gratitude, humility, and recognition of one of life’s most sacred bonds. To call one’s parents “cool” is not merely to praise their personality, but to honor their understanding, their support, and their ability to let their child become fully themselves.

To have cool parents, in the deeper sense, is to have guardians who see beyond obedience into individuality — who do not mold their children in the image of their fears, but who offer space for freedom, for rebellion, for growth. Such parents are like gardeners tending a rare tree: they do not force it into shape but allow it to grow toward the sun. In saying she is “lucky,” Charli XCX acknowledges what the ancients knew well — that the favor of one’s upbringing is not earned but gifted, a fortune that shapes destiny. The philosopher Marcus Aurelius, reflecting on his own youth, once wrote that he owed his calm temperament to his father, and his respect for simplicity to his mother. Even the wisest among the ancients understood that character is not born alone; it is taught, nourished, and passed down like flame from torch to torch.

The origin of this truth can be found at the very foundation of civilization. In every culture, from the temples of Egypt to the hearths of Greece, the relationship between parent and child was seen as sacred. The ancients believed that the home was the first school of virtue — that to raise a good person was to serve both gods and humanity. Yet, the “cool parent” of today’s world is not so different from the wise parent of the past. What makes a parent truly noble is not control, but trust — the ability to see their child as an individual soul, not an extension of themselves. Thus, Charli’s gratitude becomes more than personal; it becomes universal, a reminder that the freedom to create, to explore, to dream, begins with being seen and accepted.

History, too, offers stories that mirror this truth. Think of Alexander the Great and his mother Olympias, who, though fierce and ambitious, filled her son with the conviction that he was destined for greatness. Or consider Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose father, Leopold, recognized his son’s divine gift and devoted his life to nurturing it. Yet there is a balance — for not all genius blooms under discipline alone, nor under indulgence alone. The “cool parent” walks the middle path, guiding yet freeing, teaching yet listening. It is from such parents that independent spirits arise — those who change art, music, and history itself.

When Charli XCX calls her parents “cool,” she is, in truth, honoring their open-mindedness — their willingness to let her walk her own creative path. For an artist, this kind of support is priceless. The world often demands conformity, and the road of originality can be lonely. But those who have someone at home saying, “Go on, try it — we believe in you,” walk more boldly into the unknown. The ancients would call this the blessing of the household gods — the sense that one’s roots do not hold one down, but rather, keep one steady while reaching for the sky.

The lesson here is not only for parents but for all who influence others. To guide another being — a child, a student, a friend — is not to impose your will, but to help them discover their own. Be cool in the highest sense: wise, patient, and kind. Encourage curiosity, not fear; honesty, not perfection. And for those who have such mentors or parents, remember Charli’s word — “lucky.” Gratitude is the mark of a noble heart. To remember who lifted you, who believed in you when you doubted yourself, is to honor the sacred chain of love that binds generations.

So let this teaching be passed on like an ancestral blessing: treasure those who see your light and do not seek to dim it. If you are a parent, become such a light for your children — the calm in their storms, the voice that says, “Be yourself, and be brave.” For every great artist, leader, or thinker begins their journey in the shelter of understanding. And to those, like Charli XCX, who can look back with gratitude and say, “I’m lucky I have really cool parents,” know this — you carry in your life the fruit of a rare and precious seed, one planted in love and watered by faith. Nurture it, and pass it forward, that others too may learn the power of coolness, which is, in truth, the quiet grace of unconditional love.