My Parents; The Model of Being A Kid While Being Responsible

I have the greatest parents in the world. It's as simple as that. And there isn't a person who could argue that, because if you did, you'd be wrong.

Growing up, I was one of the few kids who had parents who were actually together. As I got older, I began to realize that what should have been a normal situation was not the case, and was actually the reverse of most people. My friends whose parents were still together also hated each other, so it was kind of weird to say "my life is normal" to them without feeling like a braggart.

Here is why my parents are the best, though. It is not every day you meet adults who are young at heart. Sure, they didn't have an easy life, but they had enough sense to understand that we are only here once. They knew what they liked and what they wanted, and they always got it because they worked for it. It might not have always been practical, but it made us all happy.

My mom is the mom who is the nicest person. Ever. She busts her ass working in food service just to save up for some wild Disney vacation. She's not a good dancer, but she dances anyway (which I think both my brother and I have acquired that trait). She is super ticklish, but you don't even have to tickle her to torture her (spider hands work just fine). Most importantly, she was always that mom who defined mother. She sacrificed everything to raise us. If she wasn't at a baseball practice, she always made it to the games. Half the time, I thought she worked at my school because she was so involved with PTA. When I moved out the first time, it broke my heart to see how disappointed and scared she was for me. And she was right. But when I had to move back in, she kept a room just in case. She saved my life.

My dad is a bit of a different story. Deep down, I know he cares, but he's quiet about it. My sex talk was him tossing me a box of condoms and saying "you know how to use these" (oh how wrong was he). He taught me how to throw a baseball (even though I still throw sidearm). I knew he always had hard jobs, so I always tried not to bother him as much. For as long as I can remember, he has driven a Chevy Camero. Some of my friends say he looks like a less crazy, better looking Gary Busey (and he kind of does) but he hates it so much that I have blocked that thought from my mind. I would say he reminds me of a less Scientology-y John Travolta (sans cleft chin). But despite the quirks, he always showed me that it was important to treat women right. He always showed my brother and I that my mother was just as important to him as we were. He was the example of a man that every child should have in their life (thanks dad).

I have always felt guilty growing up without some hardship. Yeah, we didn't have alot of money. Sure, we didn't always have the coolest new toys. But we had food. And clothes. And a decent house to live in. And a family that cared about everything you did. And I couldn't have asked for a better childhood.

So thank you, Mom and Dad. I never say that enough.