As a young kid, many of us to no appreciate half the things that our parents did for us. For one, we would not have been born without them. But also, none of us would be the amazing person we are today without them either. I have written a thank you to them, but this goes more into five specific things that they taught me in their own. I despise these five lessons when they were being taught, but now, I literally could not be more thankful to them.

1. My father always making me shadow my while working on his car

One thing I dreaded was when my father used to give his car a check up. Not only was the valley heat awful, but he made me stand next to him while he worked on his car. At the young age of 13, it did not make sense to me why he was making me do that when I could just be playing with my friends or watching tv. Now, I am extremely grateful because I have a lot of knowledge about my own car. I can change the lights when they are out. I have helped multiple friends jump start their cars and change their tires. I recently just changed my cars oil. Little things like these that go a long way now.

2. Making me do “meaningless” jobs just to not see me sitting down wasting my time

The most annoying part of being home during breaks was not being able to actually relax. My father and mother, just like their parents, taught us to be very hardworking. They not only used talks; they made sure they saw those talks in action. When I say these jobs were meaningless, I mean it even now. My father would make me pressure was the driveway for it to look cleaner. Why? He could not stand seeing us just being lazy. One time, we had to paint the fence of our house, THREE times! You ask me now, I would say I hated those chores, but they reflect to well on me. I have great work ethic and everywhere I have worked, my bosses have always thought of me as reliable and one of the most hard working employees they have had.

3. Try each food even if we thought we did not like it

This one does not sound as bad, and it was not. I actually liked trying new foods as a young kid, but sometimes it was foods that did not look appetizing. That did not matter. My parents motto ‘You cannot say you do not like something until you try it.’ Now, I am the least picky eater you will meat. I have even tried crickets! This has allowed me to travel and try new foods without regards to what they taste like prior to having it.

4. You do not have to buy the brand product of groceries

Oh this one is a good one! I have always thought of my mom as a money saver, which she is. When I was younger, I thought she was just cheap. She never wanted to buy the brand name groceries, even if it was only 10 cents more expensive. I did not like this because it made our family seem cheap, or so I thought. I mean back then, all my friends had cool snacks, but all I would get was Raisin Bran cereal or fake oreos. This came back to slap me in the face when I came to college. As a broke college student, those 10 cents go a long way. Now, you will rarely see me buy brand name groceries. Thank you mom for teaching me how to save a buck or two.

5.Keep everyone’s phone numbers

This sounds like a weird one, I know. Let me translate it for you, connections. That is what this is. My father is the friendliest person I know. He has no shame in asking people whatever he wants or needs to know. This is how he knows a lot of people, and when he needs something, he knows exactly where to go. When he met a person, he always asked for their phone number. Mr. Andrade always said ‘make sure you save their number because you never know when you are going to need their help.’ My young self did not want to look stupid asking because, well, no one likes awkward situations. Now, you see me either getting the person’s social media or number in case they know of a person who knows a person that could help me in any way. It is like my dad has his one tiny form of the Aggie Network. Connections people, CONNECTIONS!

If you have loving parents who have taught you great lessons and implemental morals in your life, do not take that for granted. Now, I see my parents in myself with how I live my life. I am my own person, but they influence a lot of who I have become. If you are lucky, you get multiple parents, but more commonly, you only get one pair. Love them and cherish them always.