If there's anything I'm thankful for in this world it's my parents. They gave me life, provided for me, and taught me right from wrong. Sometimes though, growing up, I would encounter my friend’s parents, or other parents in general who raised their children different from how I was raised. They didn't have open discussions about life, or mistakes their parents made growing up. Their conversations were limited and ruled, and I wasn't used to that. I grew up with parents and a family who let me ask anything I wanted, and their answers were always fitting and appropriate. They never hid the world from me, let me listen to any kind of music, or read any book.

As I got older I noticed this more and more. Friend's parents started closing them in more and more, I'm assuming to prevent them from getting into trouble. But my parents were loosening their reigns on me, and letting me make mistakes so I could learn from them. I was always a good kid, never did anything major, and somehow was way more mature than a lot of people my age. I think this was a result of being treated like an adult, and had adult responsibilities.

In high school, I was expected to do the normal things. Get good grades, stay out of trouble, keep a job, and overall be a good person. But with those normal expectations, came with a lot of freedom. "Sure you can go out, or have friends over." As long as I stayed on top of what I was supposed to do, I could pretty much have as much fun as I wanted.

My mom and dad gave me very valuable life advice as well. Told me very serious truths about life, love, and the world that many people my age would have never known. I held onto these truths because I knew they would benefit me later in life, and it's safe to say that it has. I never had to fear asking questions, or telling them something that happened in my life.

A major benefit of having open minded and generous parents, was never having to sneak around. Many of my friends lied about where they were going, or who they were with. I never had to do that. As long as I kept open communication and told them exactly the night’s plan, I was allowed to go. While many child-parent relationships were straining, mine was stronger than ever. My mom and dad were my best friends and strongest allies.

My house became the house everyone wanted to go because they knew we could talk about anything with my parents around. My childhood and teenage years up until I left for college, and even now actually, have been filled with tons of fun and laughs.

Don’t get me wrong, trying to hide your children from how scary growing up is, or how dangerous our world is, makes a lot of sense. Some people do that to protect their kids, and I’m in no place to judge that at all. But I don’t have that kind of personality. I’m way too curious of a person to have been overly protected. I just happened to have been lucky enough to have parents that realized that and respected my curiosity. So while I’m not bashing any other kind of parenting style, I simply appreciate how differently I was raised.

I held onto this relationship with my mom and dad still, and now coming home from college on breaks, I love telling them everything and anything I've experienced. They're parenting style, while not typical, has done wonders for me. I don't thank them enough for instilling me with life lessons I'll carry always. I hope to carry this out with my kids one day. So thank you, to the two best people in my life, for giving me every opportunity and opening my eyes to how the world really is.