Will

Smith believes that it is important for parents and children to spend a lot of time together and that children learn best at their parents’ side. His experiences as both a child and a father, however, teach him that parents can hurt their children as well as help them. His memoir therefore takes a nuanced approach to this theme, exploring the good and bad outcomes of parental involvement. Still, whatever drawbacks there may be, Smith concludes that a close relationship between parents and children is a net positive.

Smith’s father, Daddio, embodies both the positives and the negatives of parental involvement. Will considers Daddio to be a great man, but he also recognizes his significant and dangerous weaknesses. Smith learns the importance of hard work by spending time at his father’s side while he works. When his father tasks Will and his brother with building the brick wall in his father’s business, he learns to focus on executing each step of a task well to avoid becoming overwhelmed by huge goals. Smith carries these lessons into his music and acting careers, drawing on what he learned from Daddio to become the biggest movie star in the world.