belated thank you note

Dear Mom & Dad,

Since I've become a parent, there have been many times I've thought, "Wow. I know my parents did these same things and sadly I don't even remember it..." And I often look forward to when the boys grow up and have their own kids so they might become enlightened and more appreciative of all we did for them. A big thank you note is long overdue. Here are some of the things I'm thankful for that you may have already forgotten you did.

Thank you for going through a difficult pregnancy and delivery.

Thank you for all the diaper changes, late night feedings, and for keeping me warm and dry.

Thanks for singing songs to me in the bath tub.

Thank you for getting me to school on time and making sure I did my homework.

Thank you for spending three hours per grocery trip picking out all the food, standing in line for an hour, unloading it all at home and trying to put it away while we climbed all over it, dug through the bags and complained about what you did or didn't remember to get. Also, thanks for making us breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for almost two decades.

Thank you for keeping us clothed and for doing untold amounts of laundry. Mind-numbing amounts.

Thank you for saying no. Thank you for saying yes.

Thanks for not killing me.

Thank you for helping me cultivate friendships and for carpooling when necessary.

Thank you for running a home day-care with a bunch of unruly children so you could be available to me when I got home from school.

Thank you for making doctor appointments, dentist appointments and paying for braces.

Thanks for being my personal chauffeur and getting me to all the pre-dawn school functions before I could drive myself.

Thank you for the VW Bug and the RX-7.

Thank you for financing my education.

Thank you for putting us first.

Thank you for staying married.

Thank you for teaching me the importance of gratitude and writing thank you notes.

Thank you for instilling a love of God and nature in me. Thanks for dragging me to church. Believe it or not, I did listen to most of it.

Thank you for letting me have a pet frog.

Thank you for teaching me how to fly a kite, ride a bike, tie my shoes and drive a car.

Thank you for the family vacations and camping trips. I now know first-hand how much preparation and work goes into those. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thanks for planning all the birthday parties, Halloween costumes, Easter baskets, Christmas gifts, and everything else in-between. It is expensive!!!!

Thank you for a beautiful wedding.

Thank you for letting me go. I have many friends whose parents still try to manipulate their lives and marriages. You have never done that.

Thanks for supporting our efforts at raising good kids and not giving unsolicited advice. And thanks for being awesome grandparents.


But most of all, thank you for deciding to have me in the first place. After delivering your first baby breech on a helicopter in Germany, I can see how you might have decided that one was enough. I could also see how Dad might not have wanted to bring children into a world like this after what he went through in Vietnam. But I'm glad you both were hopeful enough to decide it was worth it. For us, conceiving a child a month after September 11th was an act of faith, courage and optimism. I guess it runs in the family.


Love,

Nicole