10 Times People Realized Their Parents Were Their Greatest Treasure

Sometimes we take our parents for granted and don't realize the lengths they went to in order to raise us happy and healthy. But we should remember this more often and be grateful to our moms and dads. Here are a few stories about the thoughtful actions of parents.

• When I was 16, my parents insisted on coming along, under the guise of "family bonding." Reluctantly, I agreed, but I had no idea what was really in store for me.
  Throughout the trip, my parents were strangely secretive and kept pushing me to take detours to obscure little towns, away from the places I’d wanted to visit. I was frustrated, feeling like they were ruining my summer. But in one small town, my parents pulled me aside and showed me an old, abandoned house. My mother handed me a dusty envelope with a letter inside—one written by my biological father, who I had never met.
  The letter revealed shocking truths about my family’s past, things they had kept hidden for years. But just as I was processing the news, my parents gave me a strange smile. "We knew you’d find this someday," my father said. "But we needed you to understand the importance of these secrets in your own time." I appreciated their actions, and the fact that they told me the truth and showed me everything. But they are my real parents, and I love them.

• I remember putting dishes away as a child. As I went to put a big platter away, it slipped from my hands and shattered into many pieces. I instantly started crying and felt horrible for breaking it. It matched the dinnerware set and everything.
  My mom came in, confused as to why I was crying. She asked if I broke it on purpose. Still crying and apologizing, I said no, and she replied, "Okay, a platter is just a thing, and you didn't break it on purpose, so being mad at you wouldn't make any sense. You were trying to help, and it was an accident. I'll buy another one."
  That moment really stuck with me. © rmblmcskrmsh / Reddit

• I was born to two loving parents who waited until they were well-off financially to have children. I'm in college now, and my parents pay for my expensive university with all their hearts. They go out of their way to do little things to make me happy. My mom surprises me with takeout from my favorite restaurant, while my dad surprises me with basketball tickets or takes me to see a movie.
  We have "arguments," but it's 99% of the time over little things that we don't remember 10 minutes later, and it rarely happens. We operate as a family and make decisions together. Every important decision I make isn’t solely on me; it’s a family decision, so it feels low risk, high reward.
  A big part of being loving parents is being responsible, and my parents have always been responsible adults. I think it's a special kind of cruel when a child loses the strong image of their parents, or never had it in the first place. I view my parents as strong figures—anchors in my life. They have their moments of weakness, but overwhelmingly, they are always strong. © canitreallygetworse / Reddit

• My parents had my back no matter what. They always accepted me, didn’t make me feel one bit guilty about going to art school, and when I was in a terrible place, my mom told me she would sell her house if that’s what she needed to do to take care of me.
  Luckily, she didn’t have to do that, but it certainly hammered into my mind the concept of unconditional love and the role of family. © AmberFall92 / Reddit

• My parents are very open-minded and accepting people, I remember multiple times when my siblings and I were young they would say, “We don’t care what or who you are,” and that really stuck with me because I’m Bisexual. When I actually came out to them, both of them never backed out of their word and have accepted me for who I am. My mom and I even discuss LGBT topics over tea, and my dad won’t stop with the puns. © Dia_Danger / Reddit

• My mom supported me throughout my school years. She would go to different stores to get supplies for my projects and tried to read the same books I had to so she could engage in critical thinking discussions. She attended my sporting events and cheered me on.
  After I had a nightmare, she would lay in bed with me and run her fingers through my hair until I fell asleep. She constantly reassured me that I was capable of pursuing my dreams. She made sure to tell me she loved me every day and give me hugs frequently. She’s an amazing woman, and I am so grateful to have her. © heatherwants2play / Reddit

• My dad would always say, "If you fail your exam, I'll make you croissants." I'm super Type A and would stress out a lot about tests in high school, but I always knew that no matter what I did in life, my dad would do nothing but love me. © tea24601 / Reddit

• When I was a kid, and we had an argument, it would end with us apologizing to each other for yelling and explaining our reasoning. I’ve never been made to feel like my feelings aren’t valid or don’t matter, and that’s something incredibly important to me now. I think parents can often be dismissive of their kids because they’re just kids, and they don’t realize how much that can undermine a child’s confidence and communication skills for life. © sapphic-internet / Reddit

• My dad worked seven days a week, twelve hours a day, at two different hospitals for a large portion of my childhood. The man would get sick if he was on vacation; he called it “motionless sickness.” Somehow, he still managed to wake up several hours early and make me and my sister breakfast before school.
  He was a strong believer in working hard and set so many examples for me while also being a child at heart. I don’t know how he did it, but I love him. © TurtleFisher54 / Reddit

• When I was 17, my parents let me go to a party I had been begging them about for months. I promised them I would stay safe and be home by midnight, but when I arrived, the excitement of the night made me lose track of time. Midnight came and went, and by the time I left, it was already 3 AM.
  When I finally got home, I was expecting a lecture, but what I got instead was shocking. My parents were waiting for me in the living room, sitting silently, and they didn’t say a word. Then, my dad explained how they knew I had lied about where I was going that night, and how it upset them.
  I was stunned. They hadn’t grounded me or yelled, but their quiet response had hit me harder than any punishment could. As the weeks went on, I began to see the truth of their approach. They hadn’t punished me out of anger—they had taught me a lesson about trust and responsibility that I would carry with me for the rest of my life.

If you've become a parent yourself, here's an article about common mistakes that many moms and dads make without even realizing it.