I cannot tell you how many times I have been invited to hang out with my friends or go to a party and I decided to stay in with my parents.

I love hanging out with my friends and I love spending time outside of home, but nothing feels more comfortable than being with my parents. Even at college, I find myself coming home on weekends rather than going out to parties because I get homesick. Yes, I miss my cats and my large, not twin size bed, but I miss my parents and my mother's cooking.

I have a relationship with my parents where I can talk to them about everything. Everything. I never feel the need to lie to them, I can ask them for boyfriend or friend advice, I can share embarrassing stories with them. I can be myself with them. I even offer my friends to come over and talk to my parents about their problems because my parents are wonderful enough to share.

I know a lot of people do not have the same relationship with their parents that I have with mine, but I refuse to apologize for being so incredibly attached to them. I think a big reason that I get so homesick is because most people text or FaceTime their parents every single day while they are at school, but my parents respect my space and let me call them first.

That means we sometimes only text or call one another once a week and it proves that "distance makes the heart grow fonder" is true.

People always look at me strange when I rave about how perfect and flawless my parents are, but I have no reason to be ashamed. They are there for me when I need them and they are constantly supporting me. There are times when I can talk to them more easily than I can talk to my friends. As much as I love my friends, my parents never judge me and they have even stopped lecturing me.

If I want to talk about something until I feel better, they let me and listen where my friends would be annoyed with listening to the same thing over and over. My parents have watched me grow up and they have cheered me on during my worst struggles.

I never feel like I have to prove myself to them; they are proud of me no matter what. I have good grades because I believe in myself and because they believe in me, not because they force me and lecture me to have good grades. I am accomplishing so much in college because they have given me the confidence to believe I can do anything, not because they pressure me into doing things.

I know a lot of people cannot necessarily relate to this because they hide things from their parents or they do not have the openness and closeness that I have with my parents, but I'm here to say that I'm willing to share my parents with anyone (as long as everyone knows they love me the most).

I was blessed to have such loving, kind, charismatic, respectful, understanding parents. I was lucky enough to have the best two cheerleaders in the world and I know I can count on them whether I am scared, confused, sad, or uncomfortable and I can have an honest relationship with them.

I am not embarrassed to say that I tell my parents everything (sometimes even too much) and I am not embarrassed to admit that sometimes, I would rather hang out with them than my best gal pals.

I love my best friends so much, but nothing will ever compare to my parents and the love they give me.