Entrepreneurs

'Hamilton' composer Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mom shares her best advice on how to raise successful children

Share
Lin-Manuel Miranda with his mother, Luz Miranda
Photo by Rob Kim

Lin-Manuel Miranda composed the hit musical "Hamilton." He is a MacArthur Foundation Award recipient. He won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. He's earned 16 Tony Nominations and won 11 Tony Awards. And the list goes on. He is successful in many ways.

For parents who dream of raising a successful child, Miranda's mother, Luz Towns-Miranda, who is a psychologist, shares her best advice: Be your children's greatest advocate.

"You need to be aware of what your children's worries and fears are and constantly reassure them," Towns-Miranda says to People for its Latina Love Project.

Though he is a titan now, Lin-Manuel was anxious as a child, his mother says.

"He had a very intimate relationship with the school nurse because he would get headaches and stomach aches about all sorts of things," says Towns-Miranda.

Often, Towns-Miranda would do relaxation and breathing exercises with her son.

Wherein my Mom drops wisdom for 10 minutes, in her lullaby psychologist voice.

Luz Miranda-Crespo, Lin-Manuel's sister, is the chief financial officer of the MirRam Group, a political and government affairs firms consulting firm co-founded by their father, Luis A. Miranda.

Also, Towns-Miranda says she kept up with what was going on in her children's daily lives.

"I would ask them, 'What was the best thing that happened in school today?', 'What was the worst thing that happened in school today?' so I could keep my finger on the pulse of day-to-day, what's good, what's bad, what's worrying them," says Towns-Miranda.

Fundamentally, Towns-Miranda says she was present and always encouraging.

"To not be available or be indifferent is almost the equivalent of tearing them down because neglect and indifference is tantamount to rejecting your children," says Towns-Miranda.

"I have worked in hospitals and clinics where I hear parents tear their kids down, and it just tears me apart because if you are not even supporting and bolstering your child, why would anybody else?"

Actor, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda performs on stage during 'Hamilton' GRAMMY performance
Theo Wargo | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Indeed, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak also recently commented on the importance of building a child's confidence.

Wozniak, lauded as an engineering genius for his early work at Apple, was asked at the Nordic Business Forum in Stockholm on January 24 what it takes to raise someone like himself.

Wozniak emphasized the importance of having freedom to pursue his own interests and passions.

"Don't put really forced structure," says Wozniak. "Be a little lose, let them explore and try their own things, a little bit like a hacker does. ... So, have less restriction."

Ultimately, that will help them develop self esteem, says Wozniak.

"What you want to do is more important than all the knowledge you have and education you have been trained, because you have the same knowledge as millions of other people out of the same books. So you are just on equal footing with them," says Wozniak.

"I did project after project after project in my life that wasn't worth a company or big money but, oh my gosh, I love doing them and showing them off and it motivated me to keep going and going on to learn better and better techniques at learning things tiny and small."

See also:

How to raise the next Steve Wozniak, according to Steve Wozniak

This is Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's simple formula for happiness

Mark Zuckerberg asked Bill Gates, Lin-Manuel Miranda for their best life advice — here's what they said

Here's how to raise the next Steve Wozniak, according to Steve Wozniak
VIDEO1:0901:09
Here's how to raise the next Steve Wozniak, according to Steve Wozniak