Growing up, I was the kid who had parents who would basically let them do whatever they wanted to (within reason). My parents were never ones to say no when I asked to hang out with friends or to stay over at someone's house, and for that I knew that I was incredibly lucky. A lot of times, my close friends would even consider my parents to be their second family, because they loved how cool and easy-going my parents were. When it came down to it, my parents wanted me to go out and just be a kid; therefore, they had no intentions of depriving me of that.

Until recently, I didn't actually realize how blessed I was with all of my freedom growing up, but that shortly changed after catching up with one of my best friends that I had not talked to in a long time. Unfortunately, this friend has never been as lucky as me and has parents who control every move she makes. She is the exact same age as me (almost 19) and still to this day her parents always tell her she can't go out and spend time with friends or basically do anything at all. As a result, she is constantly sad and her relationship with her parents is ultimately ruined. It boggles my mind how someone's parents can deprive them of all the fun, excitement, and happiness of just being a teenager, but all I can do is sit back and thank God for giving me all that I have.

I could not imagine living a life where my parents were constantly not allowing me to do anything, so I am exceptionally thankful that my parents have always been there to say, "Yes, you should do that," or, "That's awesome, you are going to do it right?" One of the most memorable times was when I was deciding what college I wanted to attend. Instead of telling me I was going to community college to use my Tennessee Promise money, my parents agreed that I should go to whatever college would make me happy and that's exactly what I did. If my parents didn't give me all the freedom that they do, they could of easily told me that I was going to community college first with no questions asked, but they didn't. There have been so many opportunities that I never would have gotten to experience if it weren't for them, such as traveling to Europe twice, going to Florida for Spring Break with a sorority sister, and so many other things.

To my parents, all I can say is thank you for everything that you do for me, and thank you for just letting me live my life. Most of all, thank you for always being there to support me and to just say yes ...