1. You call them for everything

By everything I mean everything. The electricity is shut off at your house and the first thing you do is call your dad. Your professor gives you an “A” on your term paper and you text the picture to your family group chat. It may be insignificant to everyone else, but you know that they genuinely care.

2. They accept you at your worse

Remember when you thought wearing black and listening to semi-gothic bands was super cool? They do too. And they still love you.

3. You realize how cool they are

Do you ever accidentally type “mom” or “dad” in the search bar on Facebook and forget they’re actual people? At a certain age they stop becoming your parents and start becoming human beings. You come to the age when you’d rather hang out with family over college breaks and you’re completely okay with that.

4. They knew you in middle school and still choose to love you

The slamming doors crying that they just don’t understand! Remember that time you went vegetarian for a week? They supported you. They cheered at your volleyball games (even though you were the worst person on the team) and showed up at your recorder recitals. That’s love.

5. They give you the best advice

No one knows you like your family. Sometimes they know you better than you know yourself, which can come in handy when you’re at a loss about what to do.

6. They're angrier than you are at people who wrong you

When you’re wronged, you make sure to text your parents and siblings to make you feel sane. They always know what to say to make you feel better, and they’re usually even angrier than you are about it.

7. You survive family BBQs together

You know you’ll have your family when your cousins are giving you dirty looks or someone’s drunk fighting about politics. You escape the “Do you have a boyfriend yet?,” and the “What do you want to do after college?” questions and manage to make it out alive.

8. You thank them for how strict they were

If they didn’t want what’s best for you they wouldn’t have waited up in your kitchen with the lights on at 1 a.m. and ground you when you were supposed to be home an hour before. Remember they didn’t let you go to the mall at 15 years old to meet up with a boy? That was a good call. Thank you.

9. The family selfies

Yeah, you’re definitely making everyone jealous. And yep, you should definitely take a picture of you guys eating at the restaurant table. Looks totally natural. (You still love it though)

10. You miss them while you're away

You realize when you go away to school just how lucky you are to have them. You know that not everyone is as close with their family, and it makes you appreciate them more.