As a child, I never truly took notice of all the sacrifices my parents had to make to ensure that my sister and I were taken care of. Yes, some will say that it is a parent’s responsibility to take care of their child, but some would disagree on the extent to which parents must go. Honestly, I know my parents did a lot for me as a child, but I can hardly remember it -- my memory is only able to locate instances in which my parents took care of me when I was sick, and the pictures that show my family on vacation.

One of the major things in my life is that my parents have always made an effort to attend things for school or sports. A lot of times, both of my parents could not attend, but at least one usually would. For most parents, they make an effort to be at the important events of their child’s life to ensure that they feel supported and acknowledged.

How can they always attend events like this? My mother would take off work, leave work early, or take an hour or two off to come to events. My father would do the exact same thing. Not only did they give up the income they would make during those hours, but they would also have to pay other expenses such as buying me breakfast between those early morning softball games or sitting through an hour or two of people getting awards just to hear my name be called once or twice.

But expenses are more than just a bagel and hot chocolate, here and there. For every holiday and birthday, parents supply us with almost everything we wish for. That really expensive designer purse you asked for or the newest gaming console that came out, all of these items cost a lot and usually are not the only thing a person receives. Sometimes money is spent other ways such as on cars, vacation, or even private schooling. Children may say thank you for these things, but we do not usually give much back in return. Usually, the gifts given have spending limits. We cannot afford to buy a new car, and we cannot pay for a vacation, let alone schooling.

Most importantly, we need to appreciate our parents because life goes by in the blink of an eye. From childhood to adulthood, we age so quickly that sometimes we do not realize our parents are aging as well. The time to give back to our parents is not when we are adults, because for many of us, that means our parents will be old and feeble. We should begin giving back and showing our appreciation to our parents as soon as possible. Go out and buy some flowers, ask them to go see a game or a movie, pay for dinner or cook it instead, do a random act of kindness for them, or even just say thank you.

Perhaps for myself, the reason why I have to appreciate my parents more is the fact that they support me with almost everything I decide to do. Yes, I have made decisions that I probably should not have, but my parents are there to pick me up when I fall. From the day I was born, my parents have guided me through life with the support of my education and life paths. Why should I appreciate my parents more? Simply, I would not be who I am without my parents.