Dear Mom and Dad,
Often the things that you do for me go unnoticed, and you don’t seem to get the credit that you deserve. But with a child like me, you should be getting more praise than anyone. The amount of the countless hours that you have both worked just to support my brother and I is simply amazing and I could not be more thankful for all of your hard work.
From day one, you have been my biggest supporters and have allowed me to shine like the star you want me to be. It is amazing to have parents that love each other unconditionally and will do anything to keep our family healthy, and I am forever grateful to be your little girl. Through the good and the bad times, I can honestly say that I don’t know what I would do without both of you. Even though I argue with you and yell at you, I am able to put all of that behind me and realize how unbelievably lucky I truly am.
From being my parents to being my best friends to being my taxi drivers, and to even being my own personal ATM, you’ve done it all. From the crying stages to the early school years, the later years full of drama, and now all of the college extravaganzas, you haven’t left my side. You both have guided me down all of the right paths to living my life completely to the fullest. I’ve been asked before whom my mentor in life is, and it’s not as easy to answer as it may seem. It was honestly nearly impossible to answer that one simple question because there’s two of you!
Remember all of those soccer practices? Oh yeah, and the softball practices? And the basketball practices? Wait a minute, they all came with games too, and you made all of that possible. I know you didn’t have a desire to sit there in a car while I was practicing or playing in what felt either like a tundra or a desert. But, you sat there and supported me, because you wanted me to live out my passions. 15 years of driving me back and forth to different sports must not have been easy. (Especially when I forgot things!) You deserve a huge thank you for allowing me to take part in so many different activities that made your head spin.
Being 18 years old now and not being with you every day is much more difficult than I ever imagined. Sometimes I wish that I could just lay on the couch at night and listen to more of your stupid jokes that only you think are funny, or just be able to simply say goodnight and hug you before I head up to bed. Change isn’t easy, and unfortunately, I’m growing up, but no matter what, I will always be your little girl.
So with this letter, I want to thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for supporting me, pushing me to do my best, catching me when I’ve fallen, putting me back on track in certain situations, and thank you for simply being you. I have been fortunate enough to go through life with two of the best parents in the world, and I wouldn’t ever change a thing. I love you both unconditionally.
Love,
Amanda
