The problem with growing up in a cafe was the cafe never closed my parents worked every day of the year from morning to night. So it was a big menagerie of kids business and cooking!

Because my parents growing up they worked hard. Everyone in my family woke up early in the morning. I used to see my mother and my father go off to work and come back and no matter what they had time for the kids.

Sometimes it's so weird just to do an interview. This morning I was back in my parents' house with my brother and we went for a jog together then had breakfast as a family. And a couple of hours later I'm wearing high heels and a dress and makeup and talking about my job.

We hear the stories every day now: the father who puts on a suit every morning and leaves the house so his daughter doesn't know he lost his job the recent college grad facing up to the painful reality that the only door that's open to her after four years of study and a pile of debt is her parents'. These are the faces of the Obama economy.

I remember thinking that I'd way rather give my parents my money and not have to like have them go to work anymore you know what I mean. Because I'd way rather spend more time with them.

I don't know what your childhood was like but we didn't have much money. We'd go to a movie on a Saturday night then on Wednesday night my parents would walk us over to the library. It was such a big deal to go in and get my own book.

Clearly this is a tough economic time and a lot of families are hurting. So when we talk to parents we talk about small changes for kids and things that don't cost extra money. Like adding water and eliminating sugary drinks and sodas. That's going to save money right there. Or adding a few more vegetables.

I decided to pursue music so I dropped out of school and I told my parents I didn't want any money from them. I got three jobs and I just hit the ground running.

My mom is in the navy and my dad works for the army but I never called them 'sir' or 'ma'am' or anything like that and we never really moved around a lot because both my parents were stationed in D.C.

I was born to a single mom and raised by her and my grandparents.

Everyone in my family is an artist. Both my parents are painters and my mom's an opera singer. I was never shown any other way to process life.

I had really great parents who always gave me lots of opportunity for choice but I didn't always realize how rare that was for a girl for them to say 'You can be a mom or have a career or do both or do something we haven't thought of yet.'

I spend so much time with my parents. My mom and I were joined at the hip for five years. There was not one moment when I wasn't with her.

My dad is a lawyer and my mom is an artist. So growing up was exactly what it sounds like - strict household but a lot of creativity. They are so psyched that I get to make music for a living. My parents rule.

In third grade I was taking tap-dance lessons and about six weeks before the recital I wanted to quit. My mom said 'No you're going to stay with it.' Well I did it and I was bad too! But my parents never let their kids walk away from something because it was too hard.

My mom and my dad wanted my brother and I to have a better life you know better education better jobs. It was probably harder much much harder for my parents. When you're a kid you can learn a language much more easily I learned English in less than a year.

My parents were both in show business. My father was an actor my mom an actress and both singers dancers and actors. They met in Los Angeles doing a play together and so I grew up in a show biz family.