They held your hand on your first day of preschool, they cheered the loudest when you got your first hit in Little League, they beamed with pride when you won your sixth grade science fair, they loved you even after you yelled at them in front of all your friends in the 8th grade, they hugged you after your high school sweet heart broke your heart, and they cried when they dropped you off at your dorm freshman year of college.

They've been there every step of the way, whether you wanted them there or not. They're your parents.

They were always "just" your parents. But then one day you realize that they're a lot more than just the people that created you. They're your best friends, and that's actually really cool. 

Parents make the best friends for several reasons:

They Made You, So They Have To Love You

Along the way, your parents have probably wanted to kill you, and that doesn't change just because you're suddenly BFFs. If you are anything like me, you call your parents freaking out about a midterm, quiz, boy, or just general life at least 5 times a week. Having to deal with my constant freak outs cannot be easy, but my parents deal with it quite well. Probably because they have to, but that's what makes them such great friends. No matter how annoying I am, we are family, and they're stuck with me.

They Actually Have Your Best Interest At Heart

Parents might be the only people that have totally selfless motivations when it comes to your friendship. They would never steal your boyfriend, or talk about you behind your back (except maybe to Grandma, but that's okay). They've been in your corner since day one and now that you are finally able to appreciate it, you realize how great you've had it all those years.

They've Been There

As strange as it is to think about, our parents had lives before us. And they probably led very similar lives to the ones we are leading now. They have been through heartbreaks, drunken nights and the stress of school. They understand. And they are the best people to go to when you just need to cry, or when you're looking for advice because chances are, they went through the exact same thing at one point in their lives.

They're Pretty Awesome (And You Never Realized it in High School)

There was a time where I dreaded my parents' company in public, and looking back, I was so dumb. My parents have been the same awesome people that they have always been, I was just too naive to realize it. I can't really figure out why I was ever embarrassed of them. I never had a good reason to be, it's just part of the middle and high school culture, which should really change because I wish now that I would have had the same relationship then as I do no.

The bottom line is that my parents are the best people I know. Maybe I am super fortunate to be able to say that, but I am so thankful that I have them to cry to, to laugh with (or sometimes at) and to have their help as I try to make it through these college years.