Dear Mom and Dad,
As my birthday approaches, I find myself forgetting more and more about it. It's not a special birthday by any means—22 doesn't bring any new perks like turning 18 allowed me to purchase lottery tickets and 21 allowed me to join you for drinks at the bar. No matter how useless the birthday may seem to me, you've done your best to ensure that I don't forget about it.
As my birthday approaches and I get closer and closer to turning 22, I've come to realize that it's not as useless of a birthday as I had originally thought. The semester is coming to a close, and I'm frantically applying for jobs, tearing my bedroom apart in the hopes that I'll be able to move out as soon as summer rolls around. This birthday may not allow me to buy lottery tickets or legally drink, but it is the start of something completely different—something scary, yet completely unavoidable.
As my birthday approaches, I've come to realize one simple thing: This is the birthday that starts the rest of my life. This is the birthday when I find a job, when I move out of the house, when I finally make it on my own. And even though I have high hopes and dreams, even though I'm cleaning out my room and looking for apartments and applying for jobs, I still want you to know how eternally grateful I am for everything that you've done for me.
As I panic about my upcoming graduation and the beginning of true adulthood, upset about the normal college student experiences I've missed, I've come to realize how incredibly blessed I was growing up. I may never have had the most recent toys or gadgets, but that's OK because I had experiences. I had our trips to Disney, our flight to California, our surprise stop at Dollywood, our boat rides, our backyard baseball practices. I may not have had every gaming console, every doll, every toy. But I have the memories and that's even better.
As I struggle through my final classes, it's finally become clear how much you've always been there for me. It's not even just classes, although there were plenty of times that you stayed up late helping me with projects, or got up extra early to edit my papers, or simply listened as I complained about a class. Instead, you were there for me through all my breakups, through my "ungrateful teenager" phase, through my perfectionist panic moments, and even more.
As I look at apartments near my potential job locations and begin to budget to ensure I'll have the money necessary to make it on my own, I've finally begun to understand how expensive I've been. Not only have you provided 21 years of housing and food, you've also provided the extras. So thank you. Thank you for the car I love so much that I started crying when you suggested it might be more cost effective to just get a new one instead of fixing it after I ran it into the ditch. Thank you for the computer that we've had to take to the shop several times to fix the screen, the wireless adapter and even the charger. Thank you for taking me to Red Lobster, even though you know that I'll buy one of the most expensive items on the menu.
As I apply for jobs, I can't help but think about how much you gave up for me. Instead of traveling the world, you were stuck at home with me. Instead of relaxing on the boat, you were at volleyball practices. Instead of cruising in the GTO, you were helping me move in to my freshman dorm. Instead of doing what you wanted, you were helping me succeed.
As I grow up, I've come to the realization that my 22nd birthday might not seem to be very important, but it is. It's the year where I realize how important memories are, how much you've always been there for me, how much you've given me and how much you had to give up. It's the year where I finally realize that I haven't thanked you enough.
So thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Thank you for being there for me as I cried, as I laughed, as I succeeded, all thanks to you. Thank you for providing me with memories that I'll carry with me through the rest of my life instead of toys that break and get thrown away after I grow too old for them. Thank you for being hard on me so that I know the importance of manners and honesty and being the best that I can possibly be. Thank you for providing me with the tools to succeed. Thank you for dealing with me through my ups and downs.
Last and most important: Thank you for being amazing. I know it's not something that I say enough, but thank you for being the best parents that anyone could ask for. I'm eternally grateful for you every day.
As I turn 22, I realize that I might be getting older and I might be ready to live on my own. But that doesn't mean that you'll ever stop being my parents. I love you both, through thick and thin, and will always be thankful that you're my parents.
