One of the most misconstrued ideas, in my opinion that is, is that if you have aided in the making of a baby, then that automatically makes you their mom or dad. Simply planting your seed, or giving birth to the child, doesn't make you a parent. It doesn't mean that you are automatically entitled to their unconditional love. It doesn't mean that in old age they are the ones to take care of you. No. All that it means is that you helped create a child, or that you've given birth to one, so congratulations to you both. You have done nothing to earn their love or respect for you. All you've done is produced a product. You're essentially a factory and I hope you own that title, because that's what you are.

To earn the title of "Mom" or "Dad" you have to put your heart and soul into the raising of that child. Grant it, yes, most of the people who carry those titles are the people that produced the child, but that doesn't apply for the rest of the population. To be someone's mom or dad, it means to show them everything you can, whether that be something that's right or wrong. If you show them the wrong thing to do, you let them know how to fix it or to not do it the wrong way in the first place. You allow the child to learn from you, to watch what you do and imitate it. You show them how to love others. You show them what it feels like to be loved, that way when they get older and they go on to find someone, they know exactly what to do to make sure that their significant other feels the way that you made them feel. You give them little tips and tricks to get by in life. Show them how to use duct tape to fix literally everything. Show them how to change a flat tire, change the oil in their car. Hell, learning how to change windshield wipers would be a nifty trick, because we all know those things are a pain in the ass. THAT is what you do. THAT is how you become a mom or a dad. Because not always is the person that helped create you, the one that is there helping you throughout your life. A mom can be your Aunt, Grandmother, Sister, Cousin, friend of the family, etc.; a dad can be your Uncle, Grandfather, Brother, Cousin, friend of the family, etc. It doesn't matter who it is, just as long as they've shown you what needs to be shown, and did it with all of their heart, all of their time, all of their patience, that's what makes them a mom or a dad. That is who you love and respect, and thank for the rest of time.

So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, to those out there that took someone else under their wing when the biological counterpart wasn't doing what they were supposed to. Thank you, to those that showed us everything wrong that you've done in your life, and then showing us how to do it the right way. Thank you, to those that gave their time out of their lives, when in all actuality, you didn't have to do anything. Thank you, to those that taught us the simple, but intricate tricks of life. And lastly, thank you, to those that showed us how to love, that showed us how to be loved, that gave us showed us not everyone in the world is terrible.