Dear Mom & Dad

It seems to be human nature; taking the people we value the most for granted. We forget to appreciate the consistent individuals in our lives. We become accustomed to their presence and we forget to say, “I love you.” We subconsciously believe that our gratitude toward these individuals is understood and obvious, but that’s the problem with consistency. It can be blinding.

Total dependency is the first phase in a parent, child relationship.  We are brought into this world naked and utterly naïve. We’re given clothes, an identity and a life. Our lives rely solely on our caregiver. We are fed, taught how to walk, how to speak and how to tie our shoes. We’re told not to chew with our mouths open and to always say “please” and “thank you.”

Then, we ignorantly enter the rebellious phase (aka the teenage years).  We take full advantage of what little independence we can find and after 15 short years of life, we think that we have it all figured out. We get into trouble and we make mistakes. We disagree, we argue and we neglect the people who raised us. Unfortunately, some people never grow out of this phase. Looking back, I feel horrible I ever entered it.

As we mature and move away from home, our perceptions shift. We realize that the curfews and punishments served a greater purpose than our momentary misery. We become thankful for the lessons and the lectures. We start to recognize the amount of sacrifice our parents make for us. We miss the little things like home-cooked meals and clean laundry, and our once seemingly lame and embarrassing parents are now actually pretty cool and more worthy than most to hangout. We still get distracted and we easily forget, but we start to see things a little clearer.

I realize that everyone has a different relationship with their parents, but I hope that everyone has someone whom they consider the most important person in their life. My parents are undoubtedly mine. Through every stage of my life, they have stuck by my side and fought for me. I am the person I am today merely because of the morals and values they have instilled in me. I’m writing this blog because I know I don’t say it or show it enough. I let the consistency blind me. People come and go, but no matter what the circumstances may be, my family will always be my family and my parents will always have my best interest at heart (even if that means dealing with a horrible childhood haircut haha).

I don’t know what the next phase of our relationship entails, but I do know that the key to contentment is to always appreciate the people you love while you can.