Dear Mom and Dad,

It’s with a heavy heart that I admit that it’s all coming to an end. How do you say goodbye to a home and a childhood that you loved with all of your heart for eighteen years, or to a family that you have been through everything with? You have helped me transition from a little girl to a confident young woman, and I couldn’t be more lucky to have parents like you guys.

You’ve sat through it all. The rec. league games where I couldn’t run four steps without tripping over my own feet, to the middle school spelling bees that droned on for hours and hours, and miraculously to my high school years, where you’ve had to counsel me on everything ranging from basketball to boys. The thing is, you didn’t do it because you “had” to, you did it because you loved me and you loved being there for me, and that means more than any other earthly achievement ever will.

You’ve created the most amazing shoes to fill, and I don’t know how I will ever do it. How do I match such compassion or work ethic? How will I be able to succeed without the people who have caught me time and time again after I have fallen?

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I do know this: I will mess up. I will make countless mistakes on this journey into adulthood, but I can promise you that I will not allow these mistakes to hinder myself from growing into the woman that you so fervently aspired that I would be.

I know that I excel at writing, and inherently, that means that I am great with words. However, I now find myself at a loss of words to make you understand how much you guys mean to me. Everything that I have ever accomplished is because you both were always there pushing me, encouraging me to fight for what I want no matter what.

I’m about to leave, to begin life as a young adult who has to make her own decisions. But, because of the knowledge, morals and love that you have poured into me, I am ready to face this challenge head on. I can confidently face the world knowing that I have my two greatest supporters by my side.

I'm not afraid to fail anymore.

I know that I am hard to deal with sometimes, the stubborn daughter who never knows when to keep her mouth shut and is always struggling with something. However, I also know that even though you try to hide it, you both face your own struggles. But the thing is, you’ve never stopped working for me, or decided to prioritize your issues above my own. You have always put my siblings and I first, and I just want you to know that I love you more than you could ever comprehend. Your selflessness has not gone unobserved.

Love,

Your Daughter