I am 18-years-old. I have been through all the phases of being a teenager. And through it all, my parents have been my best friends.

My parents stand by me every step of the way. They are not just my parents, they are the people I will tell everything to. There is very little that I don’t tell them. They don’t judge me or make me feel bad for anything I tell them. We have a sense of trust in our relationship where they don’t question me for anything because I tell them the truth. Part of that is because I am the worst at keeping secrets, the other part is because I feel comfortable talking to them.

So many of my friends have rocky relationships with there parents. Their parents don’t know what is going on in their own child's life for multiple reasons. The parents might just not care or the child doesn’t feel comfortable talking to them. I’m one of the lucky ones. My parents are seen as “chill” and “fun”. They understand me and don’t belittle whatever drama I have going on in my life as just “some stupid teenage problem.” They allow me to express myself in a safe space.

My parents have also become like parents to my friends who struggle within their own families. I have friends who have my parents number in their phones and feel comfortable enough with them that they know they could call them if there is an issue.

I gossip with my parents. Any drama, even stuff that doesn’t include me, most likely my parents know. And the advice I give to people? Probably something my parents taught me or their opinions on the situation.

But don’t think that me being this close with them means they are “easy”. We know the line between parent and friend. But I’m not a difficult child, so for me they are able to be a bit easier. The trust we have allows them to trust me to go out late at night or run around with my friends as my plans change all day. They trust that I am not doing anything stupid. It helps that I give them updates and let them know what I am doing. They are never in the dark.

I understand that some people are not so fortunate to have such a close family. My family has faced so many challenges together that have made us such a strong support system.

While at the end of the day, they are my parents and they will punish me and be tough when necessary, I am never mad at them for long. We get over it, I learn from it, and we keep loving each other. Because they are the two best friends I can’t get rid of even if I tried, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.