Dear Mom and Dad,
Whether or not you want to accept it, you’ve raised a kid who is now an adult. I no longer play with toys, sleep with a blankie, or need a babysitter for when you aren’t home. I’ve packed away my high school spirit wear and traded it for college apparel. I’ve moved out of your house, and settled into my own place with some roommates who are like family. I no longer rely on you to be my alarm clock, my chef, or my tutor. I may occasionally bat my eyelashes and hope you’ll still be my checkbook, but we both know it’s not too often. But when you do slide me money to cover rent or bills, I’m thankful.
For as long as I can remember, you guys have been my rock. When I struggled with an assignment or was on the verge of tears about a test grade, you always reassured me I would get the hang of it and that everything would work out fine. You taught me that a bad grade or grade point average will never define me, unless if I allow it to. When I went through the vicious cycle of losing close friends and having to find new ones, you always made sure I still felt loved. You made me laugh, taught me to value family over friendships, and most importantly, you stressed the importance of loving myself. When I went through breakups, you always had the best “fix a heartbreak” solutions. Sometimes that meant a day trip somewhere fun, a sporting event, a trip to the mall, or sometimes it called for just a giant bowl of ice cream with every topping imaginable. Thank you for that.
When I moved out of the house and left for college, I remember believing I had my act together, future planned out, and that I was as mature as I claimed to be. Well, I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that things don’t always happen the way they were originally anticipated. I’ve had my fair share of screw ups, sticky situations, mistakes, and mishaps, but through it all, you never stopped loving me. You never judged me, you never lost faith in my ability to get back on the right track, and you never disowned me. And for those times I was bratty, disrespectful, unappreciative, or gave you a run for your money, you still never turned your backs. Thanks for the unconditional love and support, for I wouldn’t have been able to overcome those hardships without you.
As superb parent role models in my life, you exhibit multiple traits I hope to implement some day as a parent. Some of my fondest memories revolve around you both, and I hope my future children grow up to appreciate their parents as much as I do. But one thing is for sure, they are going to have two awesome grandparents to love and support them. You’ll be the grandparents who attend their sports games, take them on boat rides on a hot summer day, and take a million pictures before sending them off to their senior prom. You will be two people my future kids can count on no matter what, and I can’t say thank you enough.
But most of all, thanks for being you. Love you both so much.
Love,
Your Biggest Fan
