Break From the Usual

As the title suggests, this article is about something completely different than what my blog posts usually entail.  It won't have any mentions of Europe, what I've learned from my abroad experiences, or anything that has happened during this semester for that matter.  This post is about parenting and family.

I am a firm believer that you don't necessarily recognize what you have until you take a look around.  There are many things that we take for-granted in life.  Food, shelter, health.  But I have come to realize that what I am most thankful for in life are my committed, extraordinary parents.  Parenting isn't a lesson that can be taught, or a practice that can be mastered.  Great parents come from all walks of life, and follow all different strategies to give their children the opportunity to flourish.

But one thing that sets great parents apart, including mine, is their unparalleled ability to be understanding when other parents would scorn, their unselfish commitment to look out for their children before themselves, and their unwavering capacity to smile at small miscues, instead of getting angry.

I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to be blessed with the world's two greatest parents, who were themselves raised by tremendous individuals that I have the opportunity to call my grandparents.  As a young child, there were many things my parents did to set me on the right path.  For instance, I wasn't a daycare child.  My early memories center around spending time with my parents, whether I went to work with my dad, or went for walks with my mom.  Whether I was in 3rd grade running rampant around the soccer field, or in my senior year of high school playing in my last football game, my parents were always there to support me.

A lot of times, parents do not receive the appreciation they deserve, which is why I want the world to know how much I care about mine.  When I fell off my bike and scraped my knee as a little kid, you were there for me with a bandaid and a hug.  When I received my college admissions letters, you made me feel like I had just won the lottery.  And when I left for Germany, you were there attempting to hold back tears as we all came to the realization that this was the longest we would go without seeing each other.

If I were an expert on parenting (which I am not), I would offer the following advice to future parents, based on what my parents did for me:

1. Love like tomorrow is a year away.
2. Forgive freely, so that your child never has to doubt him/herself.
3. Crack jokes so that your child learns to never take life too seriously (that's what the 20's are for).
4. And lastly, as Aibileen Clark, an African-American slave in The Help, said to the girl she cared for as a child, "You is kind.  You is smart.  You is important."  Remind your child everyday of how much they mean to you and how proud they make you....because no one can ever feel too appreciated.

I love you Mom and Dad.