At the time of writing this, I'm going to be leaving for college in THREE DAYS! THREE!

It's crazy to think about! I've never lived away from my family for an extended period of a time, so this whole college experience will be a journey for sure! Sure, Atlanta is only 9 hours away from Orlando, but to a sheltered baby like me, that's practically the other side of the world.

However, I wanted to address several things that have been bothering me as of late. I'm in a TON of college groups, and I'm always seeing many kids saying the same things:

"Can't wait to get away from my parents!"

"My parents are the worst, yo. Counting down the days till I leave!"

"Do I HAVE to come back home during the breaks?"

Believe me, I understand that not everyone has the best parents. Personally, I've been blessed with insanely supportive parents who push me to do my best every day, and have been with me every step of the way. Unfortunately, I know that this is not the case with everyone, and I completely understand that.

However. You have to realize: your parents have helped you make it this far, indirectly or not.

For many of us, they are paying our bills. Not just for college, but for our food, our clothing, our life practically. They're letting you go off and do your own thing. Heck, they're letting you go off and get an education in the first place! It may sound like no big deal, but in so many parts of the world, an education is something only some can dream of.

Without my mom, for example, I wouldn't have realized how important all those reading logs and writing assignments would be until I hit high school and realized I loved reading and writing; a passion cultured early on with my mom's gentle hand. Without her, I wouldn't have made it to a top-ranking university where I'm going to study the education of my dreams, creative writing, or won countless awards for doing so.

For many of our parents, sending you off to college may be the hardest thing they've ever had to do. How are they supposed to cope with their baby gone? College transitioning is hard for us students, yes, but what about our parents? How do you think they're feeling?

For many of our parents, life hasn't been easy. Some of them have raised you on their own. Times are tough, and life is tougher. They're the ones who brought us into the world. And now, in a way, you're leaving theirs.

And now you're going to be ungrateful and just leave them in the dust?

Again, I understand that every family situation is different. But even for the kids who have "deadbeat" parents, well, haven't they pushed you forward, in a sense? You've worked hard and harder to overcome what they've lacked, didn't you?

So, shouldn't you be thankful to them at least for fueling you, for making you determined enough to get this far? They don't deserve you, it's true. But you've shown that you don't need them, that you deserve the future that you created. All because of them.

So the next time you think about bashing your parents before you leave, take a quick moment to reflect. You may just realize how really indebted you are to them, after all.