Everybody that knows me knows that I talk to my parents multiple times throughout the day no matter what is going on. I talk to my dad on the phone every night at 11:05 and we also text all throughout the day and I always call my mom on my way to work and on my way back from work. I have always had an extremely close relationship with my parents and I never want that to change. When most kids go off to college they might call their parents once a week or text them every other day if they’re needing some money or something but, I have always found this insane because I know I can’t go a day without speaking to either one of my parents. I have the opportunity to travel overseas this summer with my clogging team and the first worry I had was how am I going to talk to my parents every day? But, that’s what international phone plans are for. Every person has their “person” but, I’ve been lucky enough to have been blessed with two “persons."

My parents and I have an extremely close relationship because I grew up as the only child in the house (I have an older brother but he was moved out by the time I came along). They were my first friends and I can always count on them to be there to answer the phone when something funny has happened or if something or somebody has made me extremely angry. We have a very open relationship and we pretty much talk about anything and everything. There are some things that my mom and I talk more about and there are other things that my dad and I talk more about but, all in all I’d say between the both of them that they know all my secrets and everything that has ever happened to me.

The best thing about my relationship with my parents is that they have taught me how to be an amazing human and what it takes to be successful in everything I do. They are also the most supportive people I have ever met. I have been a competitive dancer since I was 5 and they have been there for every step of the way. My mom has only missed one dance competition in my entire life and that’s because we had a death in the family and she had to go home in the middle of it. My dad was always my ride to dance every day and I will always cherish our daily car rides talks that happened on the drive from school to dance. Now that I’m in college, their support has only gotten stronger. Now, since Dad doesn’t have to drive me to dance, he comes to every clogging competition my team goes to and he brings along some of his amazing cooking. Mom has now became the “second mom” to a lot of my team members at clogging competitions. She is always there to help whoever needs help, whether its from making sure someone’s costume is pinned to making sure that I’m hydrated and happy.

Everyone in our family says that I am just like my dad with a little bit of my mom mixed in with it too. But, I believe that I am a pretty even mix of the two even though I behave a lot like my dad the majority of the time. I am stubborn, gracious, a perfectionist and outspoken like my dad but, I am accepting, sometimes oblivious and passionate like my mom. They have both passed on to me the best qualities that make me who I am today. I will always be grateful that I have been blessed with such amazing parents that love and care for me no matter what.