Everyone has a different story about their parents. From the moment we are born, literally, our parents are the most important people in our lives. We rely on them for years, even long after we’ve moved out and have our own families. Our parents have a special place in our heart that can never be filled by anyone else. Who we see as our moms and dads doesn’t have to be our biological parents, it can be whoever raised you and held that place for you as a caretaker and friend.
Friday morning I woke up at six am to go see my dad give a speech at his workplace, and I am the furthest thing from a morning person I know. It was absolutely awful to drag myself out of bed in the morning and get in the car with my mom to go see him speak, despite the free breakfast they gave us when we arrived. It was an hour long presentation at 7:30 in the morning and I can barely stay awake through my 8:30 lecture. But there’s something about seeing someone you love get in front of a filled auditorium ready to give a presentation that keeps you awake (or maybe it was the coffee. Who’s to say for sure?). It was compelling, it was funny, it was knowledgeable and everyone in the room really enjoyed it. I felt such a rush of pride knowing that my dad totally just wowed an audience, and I thought, “Man, I wish I could present as well as that.”
My parents are the best people I know. They’ve managed to tolerate me as a daughter even in the worst of my teenage girl years. I know it's an old cliche, but I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. One of my dearest friends once described me as "well adjusted" and I'm grateful for my parents for making it so. I remember them coming to my track meets when I was in fifth grade and soccer games all throughout high school. I remember when I would go to day care where my dad worked and when he came into visit my brother and me, I felt like Superman was walking in the door.
I remember my mom driving me to school all those times I thought I was too cool to ride the bus (high school me was such a snob) and going shopping with her. I love coming home from school and seeing my mom now because I feel like we have really interesting, adult conversations instead of me pouting every time we disagreed on something.
Absence does make the heart grow fonder, and I feel closer to my parents now more than ever. I can see that they knew what they were doing every time they punished me and I'm grateful that they raised me to be respectful and responsible and not to throw a fit every time something doesn't go my way. So to my mom and dad, although I never say it enough, thank you for everything that you have done for me and thank you for helping me get to where I am today. Thank you for cooking me dinner even though I never acted grateful, thank you for letting me watch TV and listen to whatever I wanted to on the radio in the car. Thank you for raising me to be independent but always being there when I needed to go home.
