Once in a while, in college, we learn just how much our parents really do for us, how much they make sure we stay on top of things, and how they always love us unconditionally. My parents have done an amazing job of supporting me these past couple of months, and I just wanted to tell them just how much it meant to me.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Have I told you lately that I love you, and that I am grateful for you constant support and the faith that you have had in this adventure that I call "college"? Six hours away, 282
But here is to you, Mom and Dad, a list of the thank yous that you so
1. For making sure that I didn’t starve
Thank you for that. College food gets old after a while, and when I can become a professional dorm cook by the end of my first year, those are skills that I’ll carry into my life forever. But that could have never happened without some extra funds from y’all.
2. For letting me call and vent
You have no idea how much that means. Thank you for letting me call, dump all of my woes and worries on you and then letting me hang up after I felt better. With no questions or qualms about it. Mom, for that beautiful phrase -- “I wanna hear you breathe” -- since I would talk so fast when things were rough, and to Dad, for always knowing that by the sound of my voice I was at a breaking point, and for your advice about life after college.
3. For letting me find myself and then wanting to hear all about it
You let me move six hours away to a state that I had never even been to before, and you trusted that I would make something of myself. Well, I hope you’re proud. You let me go Greek and join a sisterhood that made me a better woman, you let me join clubs and organizations that refined my leadership skills, and you let me tell you about my crazy psychology courses that were based on sex; better yet, you let me tell you about them at the dinner table. Mom, tornado season will always be a thing. Dad, I’m still sorry about the tongue ring, and for the record, you were right.
4. For good liquor
Thank you for teaching me how to like to finer things in life. Meaning, how to like better liquor. How a better liquor makes for a better drink and a more bearable hangover than the cheap stuff. That wine should never cost more than $20, that good whiskey lasts, and that spilled liquor is equivalent to a heinous crime. Sorry that sometimes “grocery money” was really “liquor money” … priorities.
5. For supporting me in my next biggest adventure: graduate school
From the calls of fears of not getting in, To the 6 a.m. phone call that fateful Friday as you couldn’t understand me over my tears of joy. For your support with me finding a place to live, a job to work, and for my constant questions about what I really need as a soon-to-be adult.
But really, Mom and Dad, thank you for all that you’ve given to me. For always having faith in my decisions and for instilling in me a character that is rare and beautiful. These past four years could not have happened without all of your help. This one’s for you.
