Looking back as an adult on his mother's decision to be a career woman, Nicholas has this to say about Anna L. Bruenn, D.D.S.: " . . . what really made her such a good parent was the serenity that came from her self-realization as a woman. . . . She knew who she was, she was satisfied with the person she'd made herself into, and therefore she was absolutely unintimidated by how anybody else thought she should live. That was an enormous help to me. It meant she was strong enough to allow me freedom."