Dear Mom and Dad,

You've taught me many lessons through out my 21 years of life. You taught me how to ride a bike, how to pray, how to drive, and how to treat others. But one of the most important lessons you taught me was to appreciate the value of a dollar.

When I was younger I was given many toys to play with but I always wanted more. Every time we were in stores, I would inevitably ask you for something and some of the time I was told no. I didn't know then, but you were planting the seeds of a lesson to come. For every Christmas and birthday you gave me and my brother and eventually my sister when she came along, many gifts but you always stayed within your set budget. We didn't understand then, but you were setting us up for a lesson to come when we were old enough to understand. Life should never revolve around material items and those items can only come from hard work. You worked so hard to provide so much for this family.

When I was 15 you made me get a job. I was told to work hard and save my money. While my friends would go shopping with their parents money, I had to use the money I worked for. I started to truly understand the difference between a want and a need. While my friends just "had" to have this shirt or "needed" those jeans, I understood that to be able to afford those jeans or that top I had to work for 6 hours. You made me save money for things like college and big trips I wanted to take. Thank you for teaching me the value of a dollar young. It prepared me well for college.

When I went off to college I wanted to join a sorority. I was told that if I wanted to join one, I would have to pay for it. You were very supportive of me and stood behind me in everything I did but you also wanted me to grow as a person. I'm thankful you made me pay for Kappa. I appreciate it so much more than if you paid for it. I am getting everything I can possibly get out of Kappa because I know I had to work hard to be able to afford it. The same goes for college. Taking out loans to be able to afford college is allowing me to take it more seriously. I know that I need to do well in my classes, not just for my GPA, but because that class cost me money and if I had to take it again, I had to pay for it again.

I never feel the need to have the newest and hottest item, because I know that they are seldom worth the work that would have to go into it to make sure I could pay for it. You taught me to be money smart. These lessons will help me better transition into adulthood and to life out from under your roof. I have tons of job experience to put on my resume and I am good at saving money and making decisions on what is worth buying. I didn't realize it then, but you were giving me an edge on the competition. I will never be able to thank you enough. I hope to be as hard of a worker as you are and to be as great of a parent as you are.

Love ya'll forever,

Becca