To the parents who let go too soon,

Let me start out by saying thank you for everything you have done for me. I will never be able to say how I truly feel about the life I was given as a child. Y’all gave up so much to give me everything. You are both truly my heroes. We have known from the get-go I would be ready to leave early on, but I never imagined it would be this soon. Starting my freshman year of college at 17, what were you thinking? I am not even a legal adult and I am supposed to attend classes and make my own food? Honestly, it was one of the best years of my life because typically at 17 kids are juniors and seniors in high school and are already straying away from parents. It never really hit me that I was not coming back home during my second year away at school. I had already lived away for an entire school year and summer at this point. When I need y’all the most I know the response I will get is, “Well you chose this path and it is time to grow up.” I am heartbroken and just want to pack up my college life and move home.

For the first time in my life, the adventurous girl is now home sick. She yearns for the life of not having to pay bills and wash laundry every other day because she cannot go out and buy new leggings. You imagine being on your own your whole childhood and you see so many adults doing so. You think it is going to be OK. In all reality, the adults we grew up seeing just know how to handle that way of life. That is what letting go and college has taught me in my two years here. The woman you have raised is thankful you will not let her come home and cry about living in the real world you tired to prepare her for. Without letting me go at such a young age, I would not have stumbled and fallen when I needed to, so I could grow the way God planned. This has been the hardest experience I have gone through, but I am thankful for it. In this case, letting the baby bird fly before she was supposed to has been the most amazing experience. I know you wanted to hold on to me, but you were brave and let me fly. I will be graduating college before I am legally allowed to take my first sip of alcohol or able to book a cabin on a cruise. Yet, I will be more experienced in life than any of the people I will graduate with because I am so young. I am proud to call you my parents and would never trade you for the world. Thank you for the way you raised this baby bird to try new adventures even though she might not always be ready.

Love always,

Your baby girl