We often forget the lengths that our parents go to, to ensure that we will live happy and successful lives. When someone has been there for you your entire life, it can be easy from time to time to take them for granted.
It seems like just yesterday that I was a little girl of 6, running around the house with my Polly Pockets, giggling without a single care in the world. My parents were the apple of my eye and it never seemed like I would be without their presence.
Flash-forward 14 years and I am 20 years old, living in a dorm at a university, farther away from my parents than I ever could have imagined. They are still my heart and soul, but now I recognize that time stops for no one. How did the years go by so fast? It seems like we have all the time in the world, until it slips right through our fingers.
For all my past indiscretions and arguments and doubts, I can say with 100 percent certainty that I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for my parents. They have instilled in me every quality that I value about myself. My work ethic, perseverance, sense of humor- all of it comes from them.
One of the biggest gifts my parents have given me is nothing material, nothing to grasp. It is simply their undying belief in me. There was a time in my life when I had lost faith in myself and I was constantly making poor decisions. I had fallen, like many others before me, into the temptations and traps of adolescence.
My priorities shifted to boys and parties and I found myself losing sight of who I was, or more importantly, who I wanted to be. Instead of making decisive steps towards my future, I was trying to coast along the wave of life. I wasn't striving to be a better version of myself.
Despite all of this, my parents never stopped believing in me. They were always, always there for me. They would remind me of my talents and my worth when I had seemingly forgotten. They always pushed me and they always expected the absolute best from me. To them, I would always be the little girl with the world at her feet.
I am forever grateful for this.
Because now I see myself the way they always saw me. Because now I expect the same from myself that they do of me.
Thank you Mom and Dad. I love you more than you know.
