Dear Mom and Dad,

I don't think I've ever told you how much I appreciate you. I know there are probably times when it feels like it doesn't, when I'm so busy at school that I don't come home on the weekends or when I forget to text back because my mind's in another place, but I really love and appreciate you more than I can possibly express.

Not a lot of kids get as lucky as I did. So many kids have problems with both parents, or, if they are close with one, they are distant with the other. Not me. I have two fantastic, supportive and loving parents, both of whom I am comfortable with, share interests with, and can talk to about absolutely anything. So, mom and dad, I wrote this article to brag about you. You always brag about me, but now it's my turn.

I think the best thing you have ever done for me is love each other. Ever since I can remember, there has never been any doubt of the incredible love that exists between you two. There's rarely any arguing, aside from the exasperated "Jay!!!" when my dad does something pesky to my mom--like tapping the side of her face. She hates that. Thank you for being a constant reminder of everything I should look for in a future relationship and for showing me every day what real love looks like.

Thank you for dealing with me when I get anxious and uptight and emotional. You know me better than I know myself, and you know exactly when to put pressure on me and when to lay off because I'm probably already putting more than enough pressure on myself. Thank you for talking me down when I'm too emotional for my own good, like that time in second grade that I got yelled at for talking and my teacher had to call home because I wouldn't stop crying. Or that time last week that I also called home in tears because I had convinced myself that I was getting kicked out of college. Some things never change.

You've shared your passions with me, and I've grown to share so many of the same passions. It's no coincidence I'm going to be an educator like my father, or that I've fallen in love with color guard like my mother, or that this summer I will be doing the very activity that brought you together in the first place. Those are things I've grown up being exposed to, and was encouraged to pursue, but ultimately I've grown to love them on my own, and I think that makes them so much more meaningful.

I am so lucky to have two parents that I consider myself equally close to. Realistically, I'm probably not going to call my dad about a guy problem, or tell my mom about the fact that we discussed value-added assessments in my education course for the three hundredth time, but I could, if I needed to, and they would listen just the same. There's a reason that, when I'm upset or when it feels like everything is going wrong, the first thing my friends ask is, "Have you called your parents yet?" You are my main support system, and nobody can calm me down and make me feel better like you can.

Thank you for encouraging me to follow my heart. I'll never forget the day that you told me that you thought I should go into music because you thought that was what I really wanted to do. You were absolutely right. Also thank you for coming to every single band concert, choir concert, play, musical, and winter guard show. You even suffered through middle school choir concerts and proudly sat in the audience every time I had one line in a musical or was in the back row in show choir. Yeah, I'm glad we're past that now, too!

If I were Taylor Swift, I'd write you a song, but we all know that I am absolutely terrible at writing song lyrics, so I'm just going to quote her song, "The Best Day," instead:

"I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine
And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today."

Thank you for everything, mom and dad. I love you!

Ps. I'm sorry for all the nasty things I wrote in my journal when I was twelve! Actually...I'm just sorry for ages twelve to fourteen in general.