Dear parents,

I really don't say it often enough, so here it is a million times over: thank you.

Thank you for sacrificing so many things for me. Whether it be the hours of sleep you lost while I cried as an infant or the amount of money you've spent on my college tuition, thank you.

Thank you for packing my lunch when I was little and buying snacks that made all the other kids jealous. Thank you for picking me up from school and not making me take the bus. Thank you for letting me participate in the after-school activities and sports I wanted to, all the while showing up to every performance and competition I ever had. Thank you for fixing my cuts and scrapes, thank you for forcing me to play outside as a child, and thank you for making sure I always did my homework.

Thank you for letting me spend time with friends, even if you wished I wanted to spend that time with you. Thank you for taking me on vacations to see the most beautiful places in the world without making me ever pay a dime. Thank you for helping me understand that people are different, but manners are always appropriate. Thank you for teaching me that a sixth-grade crush or a lost "best friend" is never something to dwell on.

Thank you for raising me to be independent. Thank you for always, always, always believing in me. Thank you for always supporting my decisions and my interests. Thank you for always teaching me the correct lesson, even if I don't enjoy it at the time. Thank you for reminding me that something good can be found in any situation.

Thank you for showing me that I am always stronger than I think. Thank you for letting me go to college (and paying for it). Thank you for wanting to be in my life always. Thank you for letting me ignore you and choose spending time with friends over a weekend at home. Thank you for paying for my groceries as a poor college student but also for forcing me to get a job.

Thank you for being an example. Thank you for loving me through my best and absolute worst moments. Thank you for showing me that you are proud of me. Thank you for constantly putting me before yourself. Thank you for being my biggest fan.

I don't tell you often enough, but I sure love you and I am sure thankful for you. Even though I don't call you near often enough or verbally tell you thank you, nothing you do goes unappreciated. Thank you for showing me that I am deserving of love, but mostly, for being my biggest and unfailing source of love.

Thank you for it all.

Love, your kid.