I know I am not the only one who has done this. You’ve told your parents that you hate them or that you can’t stand them. No matter what you say, they are always there. Here is what I will say to those moments,

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you. The insurmountable joy you have brought me is irreplaceable. First off, you gave me the gift of life. You brought me onto this earth, that is the one thing that I can never repay. Not only did you give me the gift of life, I was born with a roof over my head, food on my plate, and a house full of love. I was always accepted for who I was and who I wanted to be. I took that for granted and I’m so thankful to have such accepting parents.

Thank you. You have always dropped everything to be there for me. Catch me before I fall, but you’ve also allowed me to feel the things that would only make me stronger. You never shielded me from the important things, life isn’t easy and that’s an important thing to remember. You didn’t fill my ego so high that I have no respect for anybody but myself, you made sure I would be a good person and treat others with respect. Thank you for that.

Thank you for showing me the value of love, acceptance, and hard work. Loving yourself is important, but loving others for who they are is even more important. A life lived for others is a life worth while. We sacrifice for the people we love. Everything shouldn’t be easy. Some things are easy, but instant gratification and spoiling is no way to love. You don’t get everything you want. Love is a feeling, it’s being caring, genuine, and honest. It isn’t about spoiling someone or buying them. Loving someone is making them a better person and helping them see the clarity of a situation. Thank you for showing me that.

Thank you for teaching me to dream big. Having high expectations is a good thing, if you work for it. Start from the bottom and climb to the top. If you build up enough experience and go for things that make you reach, you may just end up getting it. They always say, find people and experiences that give you goose bumps, don’t settle. Life isn’t about settling; it’s about reaching for the sky. Don’t just exist, live.

Thank you for telling me that if someone doesn’t treat you right, don’t keep them around. There is a difference between healthy and toxic interactions. Have self respect and understand what you deserve. Don’t let people walk all over you. Love and care for those who treat you right, the people who make you feel good and challenge you to see the bigger picture, love those who see you for who you are. Accept everyone for who they are, everyone deserves acceptance, but not everyone deserves your time. If someone isn’t treating you with respect, they don’t deserve you.

Thank you for allowing me to make mistakes. Making mistakes is never a bad thing, you learn and you grow. Be your own person and allow your mistakes to not define you, but make you a better person. Making a mistake doesn’t make you a bad person, lying about it or acting as if you never messed up is what makes you a bad person.

Thank you for showing me that everyone has good in them. There are some very bad people in the world, but everyone has something that they care about. Don’t allow a mistake to define someone. Allow people to grow and realize with time who they want to be. But, everyone has a beautiful aspect to them. Don’t focus on the bad.

I would not be the person I am today, without your influence. The only reason I am half the person I am today, is because I had two absolutely amazing role models. Always doing the right thing, showing me strength, kindness, caring for everyone, and being the bigger person when things don’t go as planned. And most importantly, being beautiful is having a good soul, heart, and mind, doing good, not looking good. Personality captures the heart. The determination, respect, acceptance, love, and honesty demonstrated by you two made me appreciate life and love people to a whole new level. More than most people my age do. Thank you for always doing the right thing and loving me throughout everything.

Lastly, I may not say it often, but, I love you and I’m so thankful to have you both as my parents. Thank you.