A lot of people talk about how their moms are their best friends or that their dads are the coolest guys ever, and I definitely agree with that. However, I think that aside from their individually amazing qualities (que my dad telling me for the thousandth time to check the oil and still miraculously not yelling at me), together they have given me the ultimate #relationshipgoals.

My parents were married when they were 21—like literally my mom had her birthday, then took the walk down the aisle. They didn’t have a lot of money, my mom was in her last year of college, and they didn’t have it all together, but they worked their asses off to succeed side by side.

They built their house from the ground up, saved their money, and had me and my sister. My mom worked on her Master’s degree so she could teach and my dad worked 70+ hour weeks. They still came home and found the time to laugh together.

Sure, they had their fights. I mean knockdown, drag out sessions. But they showed me that even when you’re arguing, you can still relate to each other and find common ground to get back into a good place. They showed me how to come to a consensus rather than one of them just sleep out on the couch and call it a night.

My parents have both supported each other through difficulties and congratulated each other on their successes. They both drove me and my sister to countless ballet lessons, band concerts, horse shows, track meets, and the list goes on. They never complained about our expansive list of extracurriculars. My parents made it work so that we always had dinner together, watched movies together, and had a relationship that allowed me to feel comfortable talking to them about anything.

When I was sick, my mom went with me to the doctor and waited with me. She was patient and she helped me talk to my dad about everything I had been feeling. My parents stayed with me, loved me, and made me feel better by just being themselves and having fun with me.

They both care so much about each other, and their kids, that even when I’m mad at them, I still listen to their point of view. My parents give me the best advice, because they’ve been there, as they tell me. They usually have some ridiculous follow up story from when they were best friends in High School in the 80s—which is super pukey but honestly, it’s just another reason why I want a relationship like theirs.

They’ve known each other their entire lives, and still aren’t sick of each other. They have unconditional love for each other and their children, and would do anything for us in a heartbeat. My parents are my relationship goals because they literally have started with absolutely nothing and built a life for themselves that they could be proud of. They are strong Christians and great parents. They have pushed me to follow whatever passion I want, and loved me through every mistake or accomplishment. I love my parents and their relationship because it’s real, it’s human, and it’s everything that I want to have when I’m older.

So thanks mom and dad for showing me exactly what I want out of life, and how to accomplish my goals. I love you.