Lessons Learned from a Former Child Star

Photo Courtesy: S. J. Miller Communications
Jimmy Osmond

By Jimmy Osmond, Ph.D.

My parents, George and Olive Osmond, didn’t raise nine perfect children. But they did nurture nine youngsters – Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, and (last but not least!) me, Jimmy – who have honored our parents’ lessons throughout the highs and lows of our lives.

Now, as we Osmond siblings raise children (and even grandchildren) of our own, we appreciate more than ever the things our parents taught us that have helped us to thrive and accomplish so many of our goals as a family. Here are just six of those lessons:

1. It all starts at home. As children, we were given opportunities that a lot of our friends didn’t have. Yes, we knew how lucky we were, because our parents emphasized that, too. We traveled to various places in the U.S., and we even got to travel around the world as we worked. Performing took a lot of our time and energy, but George and Olive always kept us centered. Home, according to our parents, was wherever the family happened to be. It didn’t have to mean Provo, Utah (although that was our home base). It could mean Los Angeles, New York, London, or even Tokyo. But the definition of home, for us, was that it was the place the family congregated after the workday was through to share our feelings, hopes, fears, and joys. It was the family who gathered there with us. It was the place where – regardless of how we spent our day – we felt safe, loved, and fully accepted just for being who we were. That’s what home meant to the Osmond family then, and that’s what home means to us all these years later, too.
2. Shine! Our parents wanted all of their kids to shine, and that didn’t mean they insisted that we be stars. They just wanted us to be the best that we could be at whatever made us the happiest. If we found our true joy fixing cars (and, yes, Wayne did), then that was perfect. If football quarterbacking – presuming the footballs were all properly inflated! – was our thing (as it was for Jay), then we should be out on the football field. If you wanted to exercise your musical gifts, and be part of the family band, then that was cool, too. Our parents wanted their kids to be self-actualized, fulfilled human beings who were filled with love and light – and they wanted us to share that love and light with everyone around us. We hope we’re doing that, and teaching the next generations to do the same.
3. Communicate. Every family has its dreams and its challenges, and the Osmond’s were no different. But, while some families go off in different directions because they’re not sure how to pull together, our parents taught their kids to communicate. We didn’t always use words or music to do that — sometimes, we signed to each other or read each other’s lips – and it wasn’t always easy to tell each other how we were really feeling. But we worked at it, and however tough it sometimes was for us, we made communication a priority. That has kept us together, as a family, all of our lives.
4. Love and respect each other. The Osmond family was made up of children, and for years, upon years, many of those children were teenagers. And they were brothers; and a sister. So when our parents told their kids to love each other, they weren’t insisting that their children agree about all things, all of the time. They were, however, setting an example of unconditionally accepting each other, despite whatever differences arose, and putting each other’s needs and welfare above anything else. Most of all, they taught us to respect each other. My parents gave their children nothing except unconditional love and respect, and their kids learned to give that to each other so as the years went on, they had those gifts to give to their own children, too.
5. Give back. My parents’ philosophy was that whatever you were lucky enough to have, you shared with others. You didn’t have to have recording contracts or a television series to give something of value to others. Long before people were humming those songs about Puppy Love or Paper Roses, the Osmond kids were giving their time to their community – whether it was singing at a children’s hospital or collecting donations for those who were hungry. These days, philanthropy is still one of the activities that consume much of the Osmond children’s time and energy, and it will always be the work that’s closest to all of their hearts.
6. Focus on education. My mother came from a long line of educators. She would have loved to see all of her kids get traditional college degrees, but our professions have led us in different directions. Academic skills are so important, and it’s a privilege to be able to spend at least twelve years in a classroom. But my father taught us that education doesn’t end there. It also includes gaining people skills, and learning about teamwork and hard work. Sometimes, the best education you can give your child is to encourage them to befriend the new student at school or the new kids in the neighborhood, or to apply for an entry-level job where they’ll get their hands dirty. That’s what I did, and look where it led: to a successful career, and even to getting an honorary Ph.D.!

Although my parents are here only in spirit now, that spirit is strong enough to guide their “children” through their lives. We’ve had ups and downs in our lives, and we’ve learned from our successes as well as our false starts and – let’s face it – our failures, too. But those lessons that our parents shared started us on the road to lifelong independence and happiness – and the ability for everyone to learn those lessons are the main gifts that George and Olive Osmond shared with the world.

Jimmy Osmond, Ph.D., is the author of “Awesome Possum Family Band” (RegneryKids).  For more information, visit http://www.jimmyosmond.com.