Reba McEntire's parents sing praises

The Oklahoman asked Reba McEntire the following questions about her father, Clark McEntire, and mother, Jackie McEntire:

Q: What about you is most like

your dad?

A: My competitiveness. The thing I learned from Daddy is to be competitive. He made a living by competing and so have I. The difference in his competition and mine was his winning was determined by a stop watch. Mine was voted on. As I’ve grown older, I find I listen like Daddy does before I make a decision. I get all the information first.

Q: What about you is most like

your mom?

A: Being a good mother. She loved, protected and disciplined me. She showed us our boundaries of how far we could go before we got out of line; that’s a very important thing for a mother to know. Our temperament is very similar; I guess it’s the red hair. We both love to read, and we’re very protective of our family. They are both very honest people. Daddy’s handshake is better than a signed, witnessed and notarized contract. If he says it, he means it. They taught us that our word means a lot, shows our character. They taught us to look folks in the eye when we meet them and to shake their hand. They taught us how to work hard at a very early age, to take direction and take responsibility. They have always been my heroes. It was always my biggest goal in life for them to be proud of me.