you got growin' up to do

My new favorite thing to do is watch the look on my friends' faces as their phones ring and light up, saying "Incoming Call: Home." In junior high and even high school, that was a dreaded phone call, a sure sign of conflict, of missed curfews, of expressed anger over uncleaned rooms or unhad family dinners.

Now, that phone call brings the opposite reaction. My favorite, most treasured calls are with my parents, either of them, both of them. After a long, trying day, I love to hear a familiar, encouraging voice, full of wisdom and always, always, always, love. After a great day, I love to tell them my stories, my dreams, my newest plan; I love to bounce ideas off of them; I love to talk to them like I would talk to a friend, because that's what my parents are. We've crossed that line between parent and friend, and for the most part, we're staying there.

I don't know exactly when it happened that I send more text messages to my parents than anyone else, even my best friends. I'm not really sure when I figured out that staying home at night to hang out with my parents could be more fun than going out with my friends. I'm not quite sure when I stopped talking to my friends about my latest crush, and instead, told my mom. I don't know when it changed from me barely making my 12:00 curfew to me being home at 10:45, just because...

I can't figure out how it happened, it just sort of did. And I don't think it's just me...believe me, I've noticed it in my friends, too, at school and at home. I've noticed how my friends look forward to conversations with their parents, to being picked up at the airport by their parents; I've noticed that I'm not the only one with a text message inbox full of messages from "Mom" and "Dad;" I've noticed the love and appreciation with which guys address their moms, the same love and respect that girls give their dads. I've noticed that even on some perfectly good hang out nights, sometimes, we'd rather be with our parents. I've noticed that it's now hard to discern whether people are talking to their parents on the phone, or their best friend.

I think being apart, going away to school, made me realize how great my parents are, how much I love and appreciate them, and how much they must love and care for me, especially for putting up with all of my crap, my emotional days, my constantly changing plans, my inability to make decisions, my days of multiple phone calls, my days of no phone calls at all. The thing is, I'm growing up, and I don't need the authority figure as much as I need the supportive wisdom of a friend....and that's what I'm getting, and I'm loving it.

So, thanks, parents. I mean, I'll probably text, call, email you, or all three, before you read this, but I'm glad you're my parents, and now I can say, I'm glad you're my friend.