I have very few memories of my father, but most of those few memories involved flying with him when I was a toddler. Can't say that I grew up with flying though. My parents divorced when I extremely young (around 3) and I didn't see much of my father after that. For sure, I never flew in a small airplane again until I was 16. That's when I had my first flight lesson. I've never asked my mother, but I suspect that the first couple of flight lessons, and ground school, was pity since I had cheated death a few months earlier when I was it by a car while riding my bike. That little accident resulting in me spending two weeks in the hospital, a full quarter out of school, and life long limp that is most noticeable when I'm extremely tired. After the first two lessons, my flight training was financed by Dunkin' Donuts. Like most people, when I had the money, I flew. When I didn't, I worked.
Young Eagles wasn't even an glimmer of an idea at the time, but the Aviation Explorers was. It was through this organization that I got my initial flight training. I eventually got my private ticket many years later, but I think I can safely say that if it wasn't for the Explorers, I wouldn't be where I am today in aviation.
There's a lot more to my aviation story, but in a nutshell, that's how I got there.