Mom and Dad,

Thank you for not saying you're sorry, and thank you for meaning it. One of the greatest blessings I have known in these 18 years of my life is the ability to not depend on you to get me what I want. You have not pampered me or waited on me and you never let me be unreasonable about the temper tantrums that I made. Thank you for not tending to my every action, and trusting that you have raised me well enough to be responsible and to call to action when need be.

Thank you for not saying you're sorry when I got a bad grade, it wasn't your fault, and you made that clear. You always helped me find ways to fix problems like these, but you never apologized for things you had no control over, and you never tried to control them. You never emailed my teachers for me to help me out or tried to give me a leg up in my activities. This alone, changed my life.

Thank you for not always saying you're sorry when I was pouting about a bad day and being unreasonable about something silly. Because of you, I am independent and don't let myself whine about uncontrollable situations. Because of this, I am strong.

Thank you for not saying you're sorry when I didn't always get what I want. You raised me to be grateful all the time and to be gracious when given something I did not have. By not pampering me with extra things all the time, you taught me to appreciate each and every thing and to work for what I was given.

Because you never said you were sorry, I am all that you would want me to be. You have allowed me to get what I want, all by myself, because I was never spoiled or pampered. You have taught me to be a grown-up by not letting me be whiny and by telling me to get up when I was on the ground. Thank you for not saying you're sorry when I was being a brat, because you have taught me to be a good person and to be caring and thoughtful of others, but to never beg for attention.