A Parent's Intuition

I was fortunate enough to grow up with both parents around. I love both my mom and dad unconditionally. They've done so much for me that not even I can explain. I will never be able to thank them enough for all they've done for me, and I only hope to be half the parents they were for me.

Of course, my parents have had ups and downs with their relationship. Sometimes, more downs. But, they're still here, together, and that shows that they fight through any bumps they may face.

Or, they hate each other and are really good at hiding it.

I'm just going to continue thinking that no matter what, deep down they truly love each other.

I've always been a daddy's girl. Ever since I was a baby, my dad and I were attached at the hip. 

I've always been really close with my mom. She's my rock. But, I always seemed to argue more with her than with my dad.

When I entered middle school and high school, my "I don't need my parents, gosh they're so annoying" faze was in full swing. I wasn't as close to my parents as I used to be. I was defiant, hard-headed, and overly confident in my ability to be independent, just like any other teenager.

Then, I started growing up. When I entered my Junior year of high school, I began to have a more open relationship with my mom. At the time, my parents were going through a really rough patch. I had a very strong relationship with God at the time, and my mom turned to me for advice and to vent. I began to feel that it was okay to talk to my mom about things going on in my daily life, and the problems I was personally facing. I told my mom everything, and I continue to do so.

This open relationship I had with my mother in turn caused me to be more open with my dad. I can now freely tell them everything. They get mad at me, and we still have bumps in our relationship, but we always work through them.

I would always get so mad when my parents didn't let me go out, or would set a curfew and call me a million times until I got home, and I never fully understood why they were always on my case.

Then, I came to a startling realization: parent's just know. Of course, that's so cliche, but it's true. They have a parent's intuition, they have been in our positions, and they know. Your parents can usually see things, like fake friends, before you can. It's pretty crazy. 

When I was in high school, I taught CCD (It's like Church School in the Catholic Church) at my local Church. I was running late to one of the classes I taught, because my dad was washing his truck that was parked right behind my car. I got so angry because he was taking forever to move it, and I was running late. I was driving to my Church, and when I was about to turn onto a main road that leads to it, I saw cops and ambulances. A car crash had just happened, maybe five minutes before I got to that corner. I Thanked God that my dad was taking a long time, because although I was extremely angry, at least I wasn't dead. Because my dad took a long time, it wasn't I that got in that car crash.

Sometimes I feel that my parents don't intentionally mean to stop things like that from happening, they're just angels God sends us to ensure that bad things don't happen to us. Whether it be not letting you go to a party or out with your friends, or making you late to a function, everything happens for a reason and your parents are always looking out for you.

As Mindy Kaling put it in this interview with Rainn Wilson on the Metaphysical Milkshake portion of Soul Pancake's You Tube Channel, "The best decision I ever made was when I was 18 to just decide to become best friends with my mother. She's great with guidance, she's really funny, and just to start confiding with her and treating her as a friend, it was a relationship that she welcomed, and she was my true best friend, until the end of her life, and it was the best."

The best decision I've ever made was to have an open relationship with my parents. Although it can be very difficult, I believe that it is essential. They don't know what is going on in your life most of the time, so if you talk to them they will be able to understand. They love you so much, and they're here to help you grow. I urge everyone to try and be more open with their parents, it's truly life changing.

-TBCG