Growing up, my parents were both very present in the lives of my sister and I and we had a lot of rules. From not being able to watch TV on school nights to strict bedtimes to very high expectations for both grades and athletic ability my parents had a strong influence in everything I did.

But as I got older, my parents (gradually) began to loosen their grip and gave me more freedom and independence and for that I am very grateful.

I am a strong believer in the idea that the best way to learn is through experience. For me this goes for practical experience in the classroom, to learn from mistakes, and to learn about oneself and mature. When I was just 15 my parents gave me the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Spain living with a host family and immersing myself in the Spanish language & culture.

This experience helped me begin to develop independence and showed me the career path I want to take in life. The next summer I was allowed to spend more than a month in Brazil visiting a close friend and her family and my parents were wary, but while abroad let me make the decisions that I thought were right and my independence expanded even more.

I remember returning from Brazil and wanting to go into the city for a night with my best friends and the parents of my friend did not want us alone in Boston which I just could not wrap my head around.

Beginning more after high school but even during senior year, my parents gave me increasing levels of independence and this really helped me shape who I am today. The confidence I built from their confidence in me helped me make the decision to study abroad in Paris my freshman year of university.

Now this doesn’t mean my parents were careless and let me do whatever I please; in fact, I think the opposite. By letting me have increasing levels of independence and still had some stricter rules (throughout high school I was always to be home on Sunday mornings for Mass) I was able to mature as a person and in my decisions.

Through personal experience (which I feel is the best kind of experience) I learned from my mistakes and handled them. My parents felt that nothing would be gained from yelling at me or punishing me; I was at the age where my poor decisions began to fall solely on myself and I was learning to deal with them and my parents knew that. I was rarely punished or grounded; both my parents and I knew that the ramifications that I received in exchange from bad choices helped me learn from the experience and grow from it.

I think the independence I was granted helped me both prepare and be ready for college and living on my own. When faced with small problems, or even a large one, I knew that I was capable of handling it on my own. I had a confidence in myself and sense of comfort in being on my own that I know many of my friends lacked when they moved away.

I am very grateful that my parents let me have the independent experiences growing up as I think it helped make me who I am today. I am very close to them, I usually call home everyday and they know most of what goes on in my life. Their confidence in me makes me ready to live life to the fullest.