I just want to say my parents are the best. I know, a lot of people say that about their parents, but I truly mean it.
Whatever they did to raise me, they did it right.
I’m not saying I am the best person in the world, but I would say I am a person with good values who makes good choices (most of the time), and I can completely credit this to my parents.
When I have kids of my own, you can bet that I will raise them just as my parents raised me because I know my kids will turn out OK if I follow the unspoken principals that my parents set for my brothers and I.
So here goes; a list of everything my parents have done right with my brothers and me.
1. They never pressured us to do a certain thing or be a certain person.
My parents always encourage us to follow our passions. My mom tells this story of me when I was four-years-old after my first dance recital she asked me, “Did you have fun?” and I replied, “Yes!”
Then she asked, “Do you want to do it again?” and I replied with a straight tone, “No.”
And there you have it...my mom never made me do the dance again. When I fell in love with an expensive liberal arts college, you can bet that they never questioned my choice in wanting to go there...no matter how many loans we’ve had to take out.
2. They taught us about loving God, but they didn’t push it down our throats.
This goes along with what I talked about above because my parents never had expectations for who they thought we should be, they also never shoved religion down our throats either.
We would go to church every Sunday, but it was up to us how much we wanted to invest in the church.
I think both my brothers and I all struggled with our journey to find and hold onto Christ, but even when my parents saw our shift away and eventually toward Christ again, they let us discover our own paths in terms of what we wanted to believe.
Even though they might have been sad that we would sometimes not go to church for several months when we were early teenagers, they knew that they needed to let us have our space and time to see the love of Christ again. I think it was this space they gave us that allowed us all to have a strong faith in Christ and a true enjoyment to go to church.
3. Never-ending support.
Not only did my parents allow my brothers and me to follow our passions, but they support us in our passions. In high school, my dad came to every single home game as well as almost every away game, and my mom was right there next to him when she could get off work.
They sat through every one of my two-hour high school choir concerts and to this day, still make the two-hour drive to come to my college choir concerts.
Knowing that I am supported in my passions is the best feeling and allows me to have the encouragement to explore more passions.
4. They helped us learn from our mistakes without making us feel bad.
I’ve made mistakes in the past, we all have, it’s a part of life, but my parents never made me feel bad about the mistakes I’ve made.
They let me learn from them on my own time without making me feel guilty or judged.
For example, I called my mom hungover on my birthday because I went out too late the night before, and she just laughed and told me to drink water and get some rest.
Even though she didn’t punish me for my bad decision, I still learned from it. My parents understand that in order to grow as a person, it is necessary to make our own mistakes and learn from them.
5. Work ethic.
My parents have always had an unspoken rule about good work ethic. My parents never pressured my brothers and me to get good grades in school, but we would try anyway because we want to make them proud.
I’ve never once heard out of my parent’s mouths that we must get a certain GPA, it’s just kind of an unspoken thing that we work hard in school. That lack of pressure made me have an intrinsic motivation to do well. Likewise, we were always expected to get a job.
My older brother had a job since he was 14 and I’ve had one since I was 16. My parents knew that getting jobs in high school is the way to teach financial literacy, responsibility and the value of money.
Even though I spat them for a while for making me get a job, I am thankful for this day that I have an understanding of the responsibility that it took to have a job at a young age.
6. Financial support.
Even though my brothers and I are expected to have a job if we are ever in a hard place financially, there is no doubt that they will be there to support us. My family is not rich by any means, but if I ever find that I can’t afford Sorority dues this month or that I need a little extra help buying gas, they will always help out no matter what.
Whenever I thank them a million times after helping me pay for something, they simply say, “You are my child and I am not going to leave you hanging when you’re in a hard place.”
It’s nice to know that I always have somewhere to turn if I am ever in a hard financial situation. But you can bet that if we can afford something on our own, we will be expected to buy it and I appreciate those expectations because it teaches the value of money.
7. Always a phone call away.
Whether it’s to ask how to take my car in for an oil change, or just to talk, my parents are always willing to drop whatever they are doing for a long chat. Sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone who truly knows you better than you know yourself, and on my worst days, I know I can always have someone to turn to.
8. Always being my best friends.
As I’ve become older, I’ve realized how much I love spending time with my parents. When I am home for break or a weekend from school, I know I will always have someone to go to try the new restaurant in town with or just go for a long hike and talk.
The friendship I have built with my parents is something I know I will never find in anyone else. They are just great at giving me the time I need with them.
So, thank you, mom and dad, for just being you and making me into the person I am today. I cannot thank you enough for all the love and support I have been given throughout my life.
