1. I will always love you, but sometimes i don't like you:

As much as i love you, there are moments when you really, you know - piss me off. At those moments i may say “i hate you” or “i wish you weren't my parent” but i never really mean any of it. Yes, you are probably the person i dislike the most in that moment but you're also the one i love the most and that will never change. In those moments, just let me run my course and honestly just let my mean words just go in one ear and out the other.

2. We are not the same person:

Yes you created me, carried me for 9 months, and gave me my pairs of chromosomes. But this does not mean that we are the same. Exact. Person. In fact, there is a good chance that besides looks, we may not even have the same personality or interests. One of my pet peeves is when a parent of mine talks in the “we” form. For example: We are hungry, we have a fast metabolism, we are happy….. Since when are “we” the same person. Just because you created and raised me, does not mean that we are the same. I am my own person and yes i may have different opinions than you, and that is ok. We should be different. It is not something that is bad or good, but it is something that you need to understand.

3. I may not like what you like, but it doesn't mean that i don't appreciate or admire you:

My parents got married, had children, and went to work. That lifestyle is not appealing to me and i personally would not like to follow in their footsteps. When i tell my parents that i would like to be known, to make a bigger name for myself, to not have children, and to live a satisfying life they look at me with an expression of disappointment: like they feel like i don't appreciate what they do and what they have done. Well that's not it, and I never said that. What I mean is that I admire them so much, I appreciate who they are and the choices they have made. However, I would not want that for myself. It has nothing to do with being unappreciative or “wanting more and more”, but with the fact that i just want different. Don't ever think that who you are and what you do is not appreciated - it is, more than you will ever know. I am simply just different.

4. Please don't compare me:

“So and so would never have said that” or “Blank does this” are two of the phrases i can not stand. Yes i know that people do things better than me, or differently, but i am me and please don't try to change that by comparing me to someone that you barely know. I am who i am and comparing is not the way to get me to do stuff.

5. I really do know that you want the best for me, but sometimes i don't understand your methods of going about it:

I may say that you want me to fail or that you make my life hard. But i understand that you are trying. Your new at this to and i get that i am occasionally hard to deal with. You don't have to remind me that you're doing this for me, and that you want the best - i already know, and i already appreciate it, but sometimes i just want reasoning behind it. For example why are you doing it this way? When you answer me “Just because” or “Because i can” it makes me even more upset. I just want to understand why you are going about it this way, if you explain and give reasoning it helps me learn and understand.

6. Please listen to me:

I understand that i am young, slightly immature, maybe even a little naive. But my opinions and thoughts are not a reflection of my age or level of immaturity. When i finally get up enough courage to share an opinion of mine with you, please listen. It means that i trust and value you. It is not often i share an opinion or have something that really does need listening to, but when i do it is important, well thought, and my own. So please, even if it seems stupid, just listen to me.

We love you. More than you will ever know. Your our foundation, our vent, our safety net, and out shoulders to cry on. It is hard to be a teenager or a young adult, and by you understanding a little more about certain things, it could really help all of us. You will always be our parents and we really do love you.