Most girls grow up in one of two ways; a Mommy's girl or a Daddy's girl. I, however, am stuck in the middle. I am an only child, and in my almost 20 years of life I have been blessed with two parents who I share an unbreakable bond with. For as long as I can remember, my mom and dad have been my best friends.
While I was born in July of '96, just three years prior my sister was born in the same month. Her name was Molly, and she was one of the most beautiful baby girls I have ever laid eyes on, although, some might say that I'm biased on that subject. My sister was born prematurely, and the day she was born, she fit into the palm of my Dad's hand. She may have only lived 10 days on this earth, but she will be loved forever.
I'd like to think that Molly is a big contributor to the special type of love and friendship that I share with my parents. If it weren't for her, there's a good chance that I wouldn't be here today. My mom has openly admitted more than once that she was never too fond of the idea of having children, at least not until my oldest cousin was born and she became an aunt. However, losing Molly was a tragedy for not only my parents, but my whole family. So when I was born, things were a little different. My mom and dad held me tighter. Now, at 20, they still hug me a bit harder and a bit longer than normal each time I leave, even if I'm only going to the grocery store. And for that I am eternally grateful.
Knowing that I shouldn't be an only child is painful, but it's just as hard for my parents. No matter the circumstance, I consider myself lucky to have the wonderful parents that I do. Not many people, teenagers especially, can say that their parents are their closest friends and the first people they run to, whether it be good news or bad.
Growing up, I spent all my time with family, more specifically, my parents. Some of my fondest memories center around the drives to and from wherever we were going on any given day. I remember the drives more than the actual places. The best and most important thing to me back then, and now, was cruising in the car with every window down and the radio turned up as far as it would go. Most people do this with their piers. But, I did it with my dad, and that's even better. We always had '80s hair bands pounding their music through the speakers. Motley Crue, Poison, Kiss, Def Leopard, you name it, we listened to it and sang along. And by sang along, I mean screamed every word as loud as possible, right along with the music.
My mom was the same way, only we bonded over typical girl things like shopping, gossip, and emotional TV shows. Especially the "Gilmore Girls" and "Friends." We would watch episode after episode, quoting every line until we made my dad want to pull his hair out. We would (and still do) quote "Friends" like it was some secret, inside joke that we had. The lines that we recite, even now, are ones that only true "Friends" fans would know. The line we most commonly scream is, "PIVOT," from the episode "The One with the Cop." It never fails; people who aren't super fans like us look at us like we have six eyes and tentacles for arms.
I have the two most perfect parents in the world. They have never once questioned me or stopped supporting me in any of my decisions. The two of them are constantly there when I need a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold. They're always around for me to scream my good news to. They are the two people in the whole world that I know will only ever constantly send praise my way, even when I don't deserve it. I will never stop being thankful for all that they have done for me.
