I understand how cliche this title is. I'm sure hundreds of these articles have been written for Odyssey and any other publication known to man. Most sound like this, "Thank you for supporting me financially and teaching me wrong from right." Blah blah blah. Nothing is wrong with those, but they're trite and more of a blanket "thank you." Of course, I am thankful for this, but there's so much more to a parent's role than just these two things. I'm not here to sugarcoat anything and make a sappy article, but rather say the things that might not be as glamorous that made a real difference in my life.

First off, thank you for not going easy on me.

My parents have never been the type to have low expectations. With myself and my brothers alike, they always expect the best. They expected full devotion into whatever we did. It makes me think of the saying, "Don't start what you're going to quit." Whether it be sports, academics, work or anything else, I came very close to thinking they were overbearing. Staying up late in the batting cage in our backyard in my baseball days and long nights of studying ticked me off. I didn't understand then why they would push so hard. Later, when I was holding the trophy for the tournaments my team won, or when I saw that I nearly aced my ACT, it all became clear. They knew long before I did that I had that capability to accomplish it all, and they weren't going to let me squander what God had given me.

Second, thank you for not being my best friends.

"Harsh" is what you're probably thinking reading that. Let's delve into this. A handful of my peers that I grew up with had parents that tried way too hard to be their child's best friend. This is unbelievably foolish in my opinion. Letting your child get away with so many things that they shouldn't and trying to relive your younger years by making theirs reckless is one of the most awful things you can do to harm a child's intellectual growth. My parents acted like my parents. They didn't try to appease me or let me get away with whatever. In all honesty, I hated them at times, and there were probably sleepless nights where they contemplated how to punish me for what I'd done. They commanded respect, not total obedience. They realized that my brothers and I needed guidance, not yelling and screaming (unless we did something just plain stupid). This doesn't mean I didn't love going out to eat with them, even though I probably acted like I hated it. I have my friends to be exactly that, and I have my parents to be just the same.

Also, thank you for teaching me that life isn't fair and that I should get used to it.

My parents instilled a superior work ethic and mindset into me as I said earlier, but they also taught me that sometimes life isn't fair. Most people wouldn't understand, but they will when I say I had a devastating time in high school where, by no fault of my own, I was denied the same opportunity as my peers. I worked for so long and was shut down before I got started. It crushed me and forever will sting a little bit. They picked me up and told me that the only thing I could do about it was to be great at everything else I do in my life, and show those that denied me that it was their mistake and not mine. Since then, a handful of situations have presented themselves just the same as that first one, and each has been easier to let roll off my back. No sweat. Let me be the best at something else.

Lastly, thank you for giving me everything you have, even when it was probably almost impossible.

Not once was I left at school or practice because they were too busy. Not once did I ever go hungry. Not once was I ever denied what I wanted at Christmas because money was tight. I was never told that any sport I wanted to do was too much, or that they didn't have time. Every award ceremony, graduation and almost every single game of mine, Mom and Dad were there on the sidelines. My mom would always give in and get me that little Hot Wheels car or whatever little toy it may be every time we were at the store. Any time my friends were going out and I didn't quite have the cash for dinner or whatever it may be, they were always there to fill in the rest. When it came to college, the question was "Which is the best for you?" rather than "Which is the cheapest?" I never heard my parents complain or worry about money or time, even though I'm sure they did with three very busy and expensive-to-raise boys. Not only did they give me everything, but they never once showed how hard it may have been to give it to me.

Thank you just isn't enough. Any parent can teach the basics and raise a child, but to show them the world and truly prepare them for it takes an extraordinary one. Thank God he gave me two.