I called my parents late one night after a ridiculous shift at work, overflowing with stress and anxiety. Even being 200 miles away, they never fail to answer my calls when I need them most. It hit me in a matter of seconds that night just how much I’ve taken them for granted. My life has been a chaotic mess lately going through a multitude of transitions that I’ve managed to forget that my parents were changing as well.
Growing up, parents take on the superhero identity, fighting away monsters in the dark and figuring out how to operate any type of machinery. Dad was the handy man around the house who swore yard work was invented to toughen our skin. Mom was the care taker, there for emotional support on our worst days and to heal scraped up knees on our most thrilling.
As Meredith said in Grey's Anatomy, “It's the most important job in the world. You probably should need a license to do it but then most of us probably wouldn't even pass the written exam.” Parenting is a reminder that our parents were children once too, before our existence was even a thought that crossed their minds. Just like the process we are currently undergoing, so did they. They grew into people that eventually became our solid ground when life got shaky.
Through all this, I hadn’t realized how much time was passing by. From birthdays and milestones in life, my parents were aging right along with me. I’ve always looked at them as though they’ve been frozen at the same age since I was born. I’ve only seen them as ageless and invincible; however, now I understand this isn’t the case.
So often we pass through life, troubled over superficial baggage that we forget to take time for those who have been there since the beginning. Our parents spend over half their lives with us, and eventually a time will come where we will no longer have them around. It’s unimaginable and gut wrenching. Our parents are here to shape us into people we never dreamed possible for ourselves. They encourage us when we’ve lost hope and are always the loudest fans in the stands.
Our parents are our biggest supporters, because one day, they know it will be us in their shoes. One day down the road, we will have a family of our own and our parents won’t be available to call when we aren’t sure how to unclog a drain or need someone to grab lunch with.
That’s why right now, rather than ordering your late night Jimmy Johns, you need to pick up the phone and dial that eight digit number that you’ve had memorized since you could speak. It’s time to call your parents and thank them. Thank them for cutting your sandwiches into perfect hearts for snack time and staying up with you after watching a scary movie because you were terrified you’d have nightmares about it.
Not only thank them, but let them know that you aren’t finished needing them. That no Youtube tutorial could replace their guidance and wisdom that you deeply cherish. Let them know that although you may be grown up now, there will never be a time that you don’t need those that protected you from the evils of the world for half your life. Tell them that they were right, you know exactly what I mean.
For every disagreement that could’ve been avoided had we listened as children, we need to let our parents know they made the right decisions with us. Lastly, but most importantly, call your parents and let them know how much you look up to them. That you pray most nights to be half the parent they are for you someday and that they are everything you’ve always dreamed you’d become.
Call your parents, tell them you love them, and always say goodnight.
