My parents have influenced so much of my life. From my love of fantasy and superhero movies (thanks, mom) to my love of anime and video games (and thanks, dad). They have helped me grow into an independent young adult. While I appreciate everything they have taught me from how to budget, cook, and overall not die, I am most appreciative of them for being honest with me about everything.

Like most kids, I asked a million questions, trying to grasp the world around me. Some questions were probably very simple, while others required more complex answers. Then, sometimes, a parent gets one of those questions. You know those ones where kids asked something that makes your head start spinning on how to answer it without causing more questions. Some parents may brush it off as one of the famous “I don’t know” or some may just tell their kid to stop asking questions (which is the worst thing to do in my opinion).

For the majority of the time, my parents would tell me the truth, which would sometimes make me regret asking.

As a kid, they most likely explained in a way that would allow me to understand. However, I know as a teenager they never sugarcoated anything. I remember when I asked the age-old question, “Where do babies come from?” when I was in middle school.

My parents looked at me for a moment, walked into the room where the computers were kept and grabbed a book off the shelf and handed it to me. I was told to go upstairs and read this, once I was done, if I have any questions, come back down and ask. While this seems like it goes against what I am discussing, it actually doesn’t.

While I never had the true “talk,” I was able to read about the topic on my own, at my own accord. If I still had further questions, I was free to ask them.

This openness with my parents helped me to talk to them about topics that most kids and teenagers would normally not have with their parents.

Nothing was held sacred with my family, everything was out in the open, though some topics took longer to arise than others. We would talk about politics, religion, sex, drugs, money, jobs, and the list goes on and on. I was willing and encouraged to learn about topics that interest me the most. This even led me to the career choice at one point of forensic pathology (in short, performing autopsies to determine the cause of death) as an 11-year-old, which is probably not the most normal thing a child wants to be.

Because my parents were so open to many different topics have made me more open-minded and willing to ask questions without being afraid of being shot down.

Granted this has sometimes led me to talk about things that make some people uncomfortable, due to normally discussing certain topics so freely with my family.

However, I feel like people should not be afraid to talk about a subject that makes them uncomfortable (as long as it’s within reason and not forced upon, I always make sure to stop if asked too). It can help to increase knowledge on the subject and could possibly lead to new ways to tackle issues in society. Nothing should be held to such a sacred level that no one can talk about without being shunned.

The honesty that my parents started with me at such a young age built the trust we needed as a family.

I knew that anything I asked would be truthfully answered. I never worried about being lied to by my parents. It also made it easier if I made a mistake, to go to them for help. While they might be disappointed depending on what was done, I know they would be willing to help me. At times I was punished (most were deserved), but I was also able to freely talk about what led to my actions.

If I have my own children in the future, I will raise them with the open and honesty that my parents bestowed upon me. I want my kids to grow up being able to ask questions or discuss complex issues. I want my kids to be able to have critical thinking, in hopes that one day they challenge an idea to create something wonderful. I want to build that bond and trust with my children so they know I mean it when I let them know I will be there for them.