During the process of growing up, we never truly recognized all that our parents did for us, all that they had to sacrifice in order to raise a family.

For those who grew up in a household with married parents, like myself, we have seen how much our parents have had to work together to try to stablize the household. Growing up, I always knew that my parents were the source of the food on the table. I was able to recognize that they worked in order to pay the bills every month, and that whenever I got something new, it wasn't because I worked for it, it was because my parents worked for it. However, it wasn't until I moved away to college that I really understood how much I took for granted.

Moving away to college is all fun and games until you get that first bill. Living in a dorm, sharing your space with two other people while sharing a bathroom with 30, you miss your old bedroom. You realize you took for granted how much personal space your parents provided you -- not to mention, it was free.

You now cherish homecooked meals, because the meal plan has destroyed you. Your pattern of eating at the cafeteria on Monday, Panda Express on Tuesday and Subway on Wednesday gets old after two weeks. You started to gain weight from unhealthly snacks and unbalanced meals and Mom's homemade mashed potatoes have really gained a place in your heart. The simple convinence of being able to walk into the kitchen and make whatever you want is taken away from you (at least in the dorms). Having Mom or Dad prepare breakfast, make sure you have a lunch to take with you and still manage to make a delicious dinner, is no longer accesible everyday.

You begin to miss Dad asking you to mow the lawn, or water the plants because your responsibilites have outgrown those two small favors. You now have to pay your car insurance, your phone bill, your rent and once your meal plan runs out, you've got to start buying groceries. Your responsibility to keep your grades up in order to keep your scholarships, your responsibility of keep your part time job and trying to be active on campus start to consume your whole day. As soon as you notice it, you're wishing you could go back to picking up your bedroom and doing the dishes every Thursday night.

It's the little things that turn into the big things, like the "good mornings," "good nights" and the "Don't stay up too late." You have taken for granted the small things your parents would do daily. You miss the hospitality and the lack of reality that you get when you're home.

So, if you're still in high school or still live with your parents, do not take these small things for granted. As much as you think you are prepared to be on your own, you will miss home and the safety it provided you. Know that everything your parents did while you were growing up, they did for you.

Mom and Dad, thank you for all the things you have had to sacrifice and work towards in order for Nic and I to call a place home. It's the things that we could not see as children, the decisions you have had to make, in order to create the opportunity for us to build futures for ourselves. I will never again take the little things for granted because on my own in college has made me realize that you have built an independence in me, but never let me forget where I come from.

The truth is, none of us know how much longer we will have with our parents. How many more "good mornings" we get to hear from them, take advantage of it while you can.