3 Things Every Child Needs to Tell Their Parents Before It's Too late

Excited and overjoyed, my folks and I finally compromised on how the next four years of my life will go. Even though I would be attending a local university close to home, I would still be allowed to leave the nest - at least 20 minutes from it anyways. After 17 years of dreaming about moving out for school and finally being able to be "free" from parental shadowing and enforced curfews, I was equally eager and somber about moving out.
I wasn't going to be able to come home to a delicious, home-cooked meal every night. If there was a spider or mosquito in the house, no one was going to be around to kill it. There was no one to binge-watch Netflix with me and tolerate my incessant commentary. I couldn't fall asleep anywhere and expect to wake up my bed wrapped in blankets. When I move out, I would be entering a new world - one where I couldn't depend on my parents to help out most hours of the day.
When you think about all the things you're potentially losing, a new perspective emerges. As much as I was craving the future independence college life was giving me, I knew a piece of my heart was going to remain at home with my parents. In the last 17 years, they helped me become the woman I am today and I often forget that. I often forget that one day, I'm going to walk into my house and see my children run to hug me and my spouse come and kiss me, and my parents will be gone.
If you're like me and have "my parents will never get old" syndrome, take five minutes out of your day and tell them this before time runs out.


1. Thank you for raising me.
We often forget that our parents are providers of our hierarchy of needs. They conceived us, fed us, provided our education, put clothes on our backs and roofs above our heads every single day. Yet, we often take their unconditional love and support for granted. We take out our angsty, hormone-filled rants on them because we know that they will never stop loving us. They are the only two people in the world who we can lash out at and completely push away, and still love us to the ends of the Earth. Please remember that they are trying their best and thank them for everything you have.

2. I love you.
Everyone bypasses this. If you were to ask any random person on the street and ask them if they told their parents they loved them that day, I know most would say no. I'm guilty of this a lot. I believe it's because we often assume that they already know. Therefore, we don't really find a point in stating the obvious. However, it never hurts to tell them over and over again. You're doing no harm by saying three words that take two seconds to say. It's better to overshare than to under-share. Tell them you love them; it'll make their day a whole lot better.

3. I appreciate you.
Appreciate the little and big things they do for you. Whether it's picking up your dry-cleaning or filling up your tumbler with hot coffee in the morning, tell them that when they make your day a little bit easier, it doesn't go unnoticed. When they share their wisdom about the world to you, look up from your phone and take what they say to the heart. Sure it may be a little old fashioned (especially if you have traditional parents like I do) and a bit repetitive and may seem like it went on for hours, listen up. You're not under any obligation to like what they do for you, but remember to always be appreciative for it because they do it because they love you.

Your parents won't be around forever. Take advantage of all the time you have with them because one of the worst feelings in the world is feeling regret about your relationship with your parents. They may not be perfect, but they are certainly trying their best.