I wanted to tell you guys just how much I appreciate my parents.

We're a very tight knit family -- a dad, a mom and three kids. I have been close to and loved my parents deeply since I was very small. I'm 17 now. College is in about a year, and I can feel my them dreading my leave more and more. I am generously provided with a car, so I can admit to being gone a lot of the time, which I feel can be painful to endure as a mom or dad. On top of that, the idea of a child leaving the house is a new concept in our family, being that I am, in fact, the oldest. This is something they've never once had to go through. Sometimes I think your baby leaving home is an almost angering truth. No parent wants their child gone for that long, even if it is inevitable.

Regardless of how painful it is for them, I am extremely grateful for the kind granting of my freedom and expression. I feel safe and secure, as if I could go to them for anything I needed if I happened to need it. Expression is that main factor that has truly allowed me to blossom, and I express myself quite boisterously and sometimes even clumsily, but they do not say much unless needed and have let me grow and learn how to control myself. That alone I am thankful for because of how much patience it takes to be able to deal with my personality that sometimes I even have difficulty controlling. Having to try and do it as a third-party sort of thing definitely does not seem ideal from my standpoint. What can I say? I'm an absolute handful with a stubborn streak. But no matter how hard it is, I still wake up feeling as loved as I did the day prior.

All I know for sure is that I would not be who I am without that amount of guidance and patience. They have helped me through bullying, boy troubles (go figure, right?), friend drama and my own personal demons. No friend or boyfriend could help me conquer those like they have. No one can ever top it. I know for sure that they will never leave. They are the only people that I feel almost completely certain will never leave me in dark times without kind words and care.

They just want me to succeed. So mom, dad: I appreciate you supporting my artwork from the time I was a child. I appreciate you reading my writing when I was young and pretending you had a clue what my scattered brain was talking about. I appreciate you being open-minded to all of my different career choices and not once ever calling me a failure. I would have hated to go without hearing that you are proud of me, and not only are you proud, but so am I. Not just of my own accomplishments, but yours as well. I feel like I am coming into my own, and without your help and protection all these 17 years, I have no clue where I would be -- most likely lost. Literally lost in the woods or something. Maybe not, but regardless, I am eternally thankful for you. I love you both.