fam[ily]

I love my family, but today got me thinking..do I ever truly appreciate my family?

Basically, I was the typical teenager growing up. Neither my parents knew what I was going through. I'm all alone in this world. Yeah, no.  Now, I see what they were doing. They loved me so much, they wanted a better life for me. Of course I can't go back in time and change the things I said, or things I did behind their backs. I can try different approaches that my daughter can grow up and not be afraid to share things with me. Although I know my parents were trying to protect me, I still was always afraid to talk to them, so I rebelled. I don't want my daughter having the life I had behind my parents' backs.

Now that I'm older and I have a great relationship with both my parents, I see more and more everyday people who don't. A friend who feels trapped because his/her parents want them to a certain person, when all they want to do is find their own way in this world. More importantly, a new parent who feels like they're a failure, when really..is a amazing and hard working person. Even though me and my parents had our fights growing up, they always let me know I was important to them. It's hard for me to picture parents not giving their children the love they need. They grow up feel insecure and worthless. No one should ever feel like. Everyone is special, important. They have a special purpose in the world.

I'm not a patient person, but I love watching my daughter learn new things. I love making her laugh and smile. I know that someday, the teenage years will be here, but I still hope that I can still make her laugh and smile at me. She teaches me new things everyday. She's teaching me how to be more patient, and I get a little better at that everyday. Still have my bumps for sure. I hope we can still teach each other things, and never hide things from one another. No parent is perfect, but I hope that when I do something less than perfect, she will call me on it. I never want her to not confide in me. After all, she is the most important person in my life and she has changed me so much already.

My little family.