Bubble-wrap your appointee (literally).

[wildblueyonder]

A simple "Thank you" to a parent goes a very long way and means more than you can ever imagine. My oldest DD, just before she graduated from college, turned to me and said, "Thank you" for teaching her many things, one especially I remember was how to be polite. She said she had no idea how far that had gone and would go to impress people, especially those older than her.

I know it's hard for teenagers to understand that parents are tough on them, and we do not always allow our kids to do what they want, but it is all out of love and protection. And as all parents know, we can only protect our kids from so much and for so long, but hopefully they learn how to take care of themselves and understand why we have done what we did.

As skismuggs said, you'll understand better once you have kids of your own. And then you'll find yourself saying, "I sound like my Dad/Mom!!! Oh, no!!!"

I won't have any kids for a while yet , but I will say that I have already gained a new appreciation for my parents since coming here, more so than I perhaps expected.

Case in point: A lot of people around me struggle more than I do with school, which gives me a great opportunity to help others. But it's not because "I'm smart". I credit a large portion of my academic abilities to my mom's tireless efforts--she homeschooled my sister and I all the way through the end of middle school, and some even after that. Also, I wouldn't have been able to participate in virtually any extracurricular activities if I hadn't had a willing chauffeur.

Additionally, my dad has given me some of the best life advice I've ever gotten, on numerous occasions. I have definitely learned a great deal about how to interact with and respect others from him, and he has been an outstanding role model for me.

So...yeah...I am living the dream...my dream...now, but it didn't happen by accident. Not at all.

 

[Capri120]

the light came on for her that she didn’t have any student loans and how fortunate she truly was. More importantly, she recognized the sacrifices we had made for her to be in that position.

Ditto - oldest DD and son-in-law (his parents)