Dear Mom and Dad,

Wow. I can’t believe I am already finishing freshman year. Can you? Your little baby is all grown up, pursuing an education and a career. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in your lap while you read me storybooks, spilling finger paint all over the kitchen floor, and giggling endlessly as you tickled me just to make me smile. However, I’m no longer that toothless little goofball anymore. I have grown into a strong, independent, intelligent young adult—and I have you to thank for that.

I know that the vast majority of my teenage years were filled with bratty bickering and stupid fights between us about curfew requirements, me being late to practice or school, or me refusing to cleaning up my horrendously messy room. I remember all too well how angry I would get with you, and how quick I was to yell and exaggerate on how “this isn’t fair” and how “you never let me do anything!” I would coop myself up in my room and ask myself, “Why? Why do my parents have to be so… annoying?

And I think, here at college, hundreds of miles away from you, I was able to figure out the truth.

Perhaps it was when I was feeling lonely during the first couple weeks, still trying to fit in and make close relationships, and I didn’t have my mom to talk to or wipe away my tears.

Maybe it was when I started getting insanely sick of the cafeteria food, longing for a home cooked meal from my five star chef of a mom, or a deliciously tall stacked turkey sandwich from dad.

Or perhaps it was even at those first couple away meets when I looked into the stands for a “thumbs up” from my two biggest supporters, and had to remind myself that they were hours away.

Regardless of the exact moment that this thought occurred to me, it has stuck with me ever since—you two were never annoying. You cared. Maybe in high school I wasn’t able to see it as clear as I do now, but you two cared about me so much that you were willing to do anything to make sure I was successful and well taken care of. I have to apologize for being a typically arrogant, ignorant, hormonal teen. But with those years behind us, I have just two words left to describe how I feel now—

Thank you.

Thank you for driving me school and to every practice until I got my license, making sure I made it on time and was able to suck up every ounce of knowledge or strength in my endeavors.

Thank you for pushing me to be the best possible version of myself—for never giving up on me even when I thought it couldn’t be done, and for bragging about my successes on your Facebook wall.

Thank you for taking care of me—from putting a band-aid on my skinned knees, to putting dinner on the table, to making me smile again after my first heart break.

Thank you for wiping away my tears, picking me back up when I was down, and always telling me that it was going to be alright, even if you weren’t sure if it actually was.

Thank you for believing in me (even when I didn’t believe in myself), and making sure that I always felt confident and beautiful.

And, above all, thank you for loving me—through all of my sassiness, sadness, happiness, successes, and failures—regardless of any circumstance.

I truly have become the person that I am today because of you. I love you so much.

Love,

Your little girl