This morning, at an hour that my eyes do not need to see, my mom decided to come lay in my bed and stick her minus 30 degree toes under my covers and on my bare leg. This tends to happen often because my dad travels for work, and I think she secretly enjoys my bed more. Needless to say, this frozen toe tundra woke me up and put me in a state of shock. I was so startled at such an ungodly hour that I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I’m sitting in my chair huddled under a blanket, watching my mom sleep (by the way I’m not normally this creepy -- just kidding; I am). This made me realize something while my mom was snoring so loudly in my bed: once upon a time she was 20-years-old and dreamed of a family that she would be proud of, much like I do.

Needless to say, since I’m one of her kids and my dad isn’t too hard on the eyes, she’s pretty much living the dream.

But on a real note, I don’t think that those of us in our teens and early twenties realize the amount of sacrifices our parents made for us. My parents married at the ripe age of 21 and 23, which in my opinion is pretty early. I’m almost 21, and if someone asked me to marry them right now I would probably break out in a nervous sweat and run away.

My parents struggled financially for a long time, but somehow always managed to make it by. My dad worked the midnight shift at a factory, coached my softball team during the day, and went to college as well. He did all of this without ever complaining. My mom baked cakes for people, worked at an office and somehow managed to still get my sister and I on the bus and to school. My parents never failed to make us feel loved. They never argued in front of us, and never let us go to bed hungry. I realize how special of a thing that is, and I pray to God that one day I find that for my future family.

I’m not writing all of this to brag about my home life; I’m writing this because I don’t think people my age realize the struggles that our parents go through. After all, they’re only human and they make mistakes, too. There isn’t a set guide to being a parent, and no amount of daytime talk shows will ever prepare your parents for the monster that is a teenager. There isn’t a number that can express how many times my mom and I fought when I was younger, over the most ridiculous things. I believed my mom was enforcing a curfew because she didn’t want me to have fun with my friends. I believed she made me do chores around the house because she just didn’t want to do them. I believed my dad didn’t want to play Barbie with me because he was too busy. I was so caught up in the now, that I didn’t actually think to take a step back and realize how busy and exhausting it was to raise children.

I didn’t realize that maybe she enforced a curfew because nothing good happens after 12 a.m. I didn’t realize that the reason she made me do chores wasn’t because she didn’t want to, it was because she was exhausted from work. I didn’t see the stress and anxiety on her face because I was only a kid. I didn’t see the calluses and sore muscles my dad wore after a 12-hour shift at GT. I didn’t see these things because I was only a child, and I regret that so much. I wish so badly that I could go back and understand why my parents told me no when I asked to go out with my friends rather than just slamming my door and throwing a pity party.

The point I’m trying to make here, is that when your parents tell you no, listen to them. I understand it’s hard to take that advice, now, because you’re young and think you’re invincible, but you’re not. Chances are, if your dad doesn’t like the boy you’re dating there’s a reason. If you’re mom doesn’t like the girl you’re dating, dump her quick because your mom is always right. If they don’t want you staying out past midnight, it’s because they were teenagers once; they know nothing good comes out of a teenager out at night. Your parents aren’t horrible people. They want to see you have a fun-filled life; they just don’t want to see you get hurt or in trouble.

At the end of the day, be thankful you have someone who has that type of authority over you, because it means they care about you, and that is a blessing in itself.