Growing up parents were the most embarrassing and unfair people in the world. There were times where I thought I hated mine. Today, I want to thank them. They showed me how to be polite, how to respect others, and how to listen. I was not raised in a household where everything was a discussion; I heard the “because I said so” thing a lot. At the time I thought it was totally unfair that my parents didn’t have to give me a reason as to why I couldn’t do something or had to do something… but the older I get, the more I realize that they never had to give me a reason. They were my parents.

Growing up I know my sister and I were a handful. We got into fights, we said inappropriate things, we tested our parents, and we were far from perfect. However, when we received a gift from someone whether we liked it or not we said thank you. When it was dinner time we either ate our food or we didn’t get dessert or TV time. There was no discussion. We knew not to hit other kids or adults, and spitting was something that was not allowed. We said please and thank you and knew that manners were important. We did not fear our parents; we respected them and knew that there were rules and consequences for breaking them.

I am beyond thankful for my parents. Although I didn’t care for sports I’m glad my parents introduced them to me. My parents taught me how to be respectful and have manners and they also taught me how to be a team player. There are things that our parents can’t always teach us but sports can, and mine knew that. I was never the most athletic or competitive kid out there and there were times where I wanted to quit but my parents wouldn’t let me and I thank them for that. I question parents today who don’t encourage their kids to play sports or try them. Your child doesn’t have to be a superstar and you don’t have to be an athletic parent but it is important that your child gets the chance to release some energy, make friends, learn how to be a team player, get up when they are knocked down, and try new things.

I’m thankful that my parents had rules and consequences. I learned right from wrong and how to treat others. For some reason I hear parents today think that punishing their children is wrong and I just don’t understand that. Thank you mom and dad for taking toys away, for grounding me, for showing me that some behaviors are inappropriate, and thank for you not allowing me to argue back with you. I know I kicked and screamed and it must have been hard at times to see your child upset, but you did the right thing by enforcing rules and I thank you for that.

I’m glad I grew up when I did with the parents that I had. I played outside, I was encouraged to play sports and be active, I was punished when I was wrong, and I learned how to have manners. My parent’s never said “next time they will say thank you” because we knew better. When I got in trouble the worst punishment was being grounded from going outside; today it is getting a video game taken away. I had computer games, video games and the internet when I was little, and although they weren’t as high-tech as today's electronics, they were still electronics and I wasn’t obsessed with them.

My parents have done everything they could for my sister and I, and I hope that one day my children and my sisters children can appreciate them as much as I do (even though at times it seems like I don’t). If my children can’t appreciate their grandparents then somewhere along the line I went wrong. So thank you, mom and dad, for everything you have done.