Day Three: Your Parents

Working with kids has given me the opportunity to interact with lots of parents, from the over-involved and anxiety-ridden to the completely detached and indifferent. I have to say, it's really made me appreciate my upbringing and the two people most responsible for that are my mom and my dad. My parents did a great job raising me and my sisters, partially because they let us make our own mistakes and learn from them, but also because they were supportive and dependable (and never, ever said I told you so). I definitely had an ideal childhood, but like many parents, mine split up. I was older and in college when it happened, so it didn't have as big an impact on me as it could have, but it hurt nonetheless and was quite a disappointment. No one wants their "perfect" family to not be so perfect after all. Together, my parents can be borderline obnoxious these days, but separately, they're actually two amazing people.

My dad was always the parent that we went to when we wanted something (or when my mom said no), because he could typically be persuaded. He worked a lot, but I don't ever recall his work being so time-consuming that it interfered with our day-to-day lives. In fact, he had the advantage of running a family business so he was always around for holidays, school events, and dinner (which we sat down to as a family on most nights). My dad was always goofy and crazy and I don't think there are many photos of him that exist where he isn't making a ridiculous face. I have him to thank for my writing/grammar skills (he was an English major), my love of all things sports, and my (slightly) stubborn streak. I definitely feel like I had to do things to please my dad growing up, which isn't a bad thing because it always made me an over-achiever.

My mom was more of the enforcer growing up. She was always involved in everything at school and made sure the household dynamic ran smoothly. In other words, she was an incredibly busy lady (especially when the three of us were all at different schools). She was our taxi, our chef, our personal shopper, our room parent, our disciplinarian, and the person I feared crossing the most as a kid. In fact, even my cousins were afraid of her. She always meant business, and sometimes it was hard to tell when she was making a joke because she was usually dead serious. Now that I'm older, I have come to really appreciate and enjoy my mom and everything she's done for me. She has a great eye for fashion and design, can make some amazing meals, and she gives incredibly sound advice without judging. She is someone who gives and gives and gives until there's nothing left (and then she magically gives some more). I have her to thank for my left-handedness, my organizational skills, my love of cooking, and my patience (and definitely not my ability to spell-sorry mom!).

So as you can tell, my parents are two very different people, and I've learned a lot from them both and credit them for somehow turning out three amazing daughters (I can count myself in this, right?). I would not be where I am today without their love and support and for that, I am very fortunate.

Thanks Mom & Dad!