30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 30

Today, I am thankful for my parents.

As my 30 days of thankfulness comes to a close, I couldn't possibly leave out the two people who have raised me to become the person I am today. There are so many things I'm thankful for when it comes to my parents, so I'll keep this to the things that I feel have impacted me the most.

Being raised by two liberal-minded people really shaped the way I turned out. And I'm not talking politics here. My parents were so open-minded and they supported whatever I chose to do. They didn't force me to do anything, and really allowed me to make my own decisions (so long as they weren't against the law or against their standards/values, etc.) and allowed me to learn from my mistakes. They were not pushy with politics or religion and always made it clear that if I believed in myself and stand for my beliefs, nothing could get in the way of my success. I think it's pretty incredible that my siblings and I are split down the middle with regard to our political preferences. Some might find it weird, I find it pretty cool. 

My parents instilled a fair amount of discipline. While I wouldn't agree with that statement when I was growing up, I'm pretty sure they knew what they were doing when I got grounded or had something taken away for a while. For the most part, I was a pretty good kid. My siblings always tell me that I had it easy compared to them, and I'm pretty sure that's true. Either that, or I was just a better kid and didn't NEED all that discipline. :) Once I got in trouble for something, you better believe I never did the same thing again. Sneaking out in high school? Yah... the night my dad was standing at the front door when I was trying to sneak back in was the last time I ever did that. I'm not sure what was worse... the feeling of getting caught or having to listen to my dad's lecture for the following hour or two.

My parents also instilled very good morals and values. One thing that always sticks in my mind that my dad always said is, "friends will come and go but family is forever." Always send thank you notes, call your grandparents, send a card or call your family on their birthdays, respect your elders, save your money (I'm not very good at this one, but thankfully Stefan is).... I could go on and on. I think you get the point, they're pretty awesome parents.

The personalities of my parents are those that complement each other in the best possible way. My mom is the most patient person in the world (and the person I would always go to whenever dad said no) and my dad is one of the funniest people I know (and now usually has a hard time saying no if I ask for something to be sent to Arizona). I take after both of them for very different things... I love to read, hate to cook and I'm a little forgetful (thank you mom), and I manage my life through lists and tend to stress out a lot, obviously taking after my dad. 

They both have provided for me in a way that I am forever grateful. If I ever have children, I want to be able to raise them in a way that allows me to provide them everything they need and whatever makes them happy, just like my parents did for me. There's a difference between being spoiled and providing for your children. Some might say I was spoiled, and maybe I was. The most important thing is that I am truly grateful for my childhood, my upbringing, and having the best parents in the world.