Growing up with a single parent is not all glory, not every event faced is one with a lesson at the end of the road. When I turned 13, I watched my father walk out in the middle of my biggest birthday party - this was a monumental moment; a heart-wrenching space in time I find myself reflecting on frequently - little did I know this pain staking event would lead me to be the strong-willed, independent young woman I am today. So, thank you, dad for stepping away to allow mom to raise me.

I soon learned how to grow up quickly and effectively. I became my mom's right-hand gal, being the oldest of three at home responsibilities naturally gravitated towards me. There were nights I needed to stay in to babysit, days I had to come home right after school to get my brother and sister off the bus... Opportunities passed up - but in retrospect, the trade-off was well worth it.

Although today I choose to focus on the great times, the ups... There were many downs. Countless screaming matches, one bull-headed personality raging against another; there were still my favorite times of crawling into a big fluffy bed on a stormy night all three of us clinging to her knowing she was our ultimate protector. And even with the wolves at our door, mom never missed a lacrosse game, never a band concert or a parent-teacher meeting. Above all, she taught us the importance of love, that time did not matter when it was spent with the people who mean the most.

I came into adulthood like a whirlwind. I am more prepared for the world than most people in their early 30s and I have no one else to thank but my mother. She never gave me more than I could handle, she taught me responsibility, time management, the value of a dollar, and to always say "I love you" before you hang up the phone. Every lesson and opportunity was well earned.

Now that I am in my early 20s and I'm watching the people I went to high school with graduate from college while I hold down a full-time job, and have supported myself for the better part of the past four years - while most of my fellow age group is emerging into the world with no sense of responsibility, no idea how to do laundry, mange their money, or how to juggle a job and a healthy social life. And to be honest, I'm not sure I would either if I didn't have the life that I did!

The older I get, the more I admire my mother for constantly providing for us and as the years pass and I begin to build a life of my own I realize more on a daily basis the hard work my mother always put in to provide everything we needed. There will never be a thank you big enough for the lessons I've learned in watching my mother parent alone. She's done more than raise a beautiful well-rounded family, she's become a role model for people alike; constantly giving and strong.

So, thank you, dad, for stepping away and allowing mom to raise me. Mom - thank you for being my endless supporter, my biggest fan; I have never questioned your love and devotion to me.