Just like the next person, my parents were the biggest influences to shape the person I am today. I celebrate the ways that we are alike as often as I do about our differences, and I have no idea what I would do without them in my life. Don’t get me wrong, trying to maintain a relationship with literally anybody is hard, but when it comes to your family, things can get super complicated.

When I was a teenager, I left the house I grew up in, with my mother inside, to live with my dad in my grandmother’s house. That’s where I still am today, and as much as I love being there, I do wonder what things would be like if I never left my mom behind the way I did. I wonder if my relationship with my father would be different, if my relationships with my siblings would be different. If I truly made the right choice.

I was the same age Ariel was when she told King Triton that she was an adult, after all.

Despite these common issues that I have with my parents, I still love them unconditionally. They’ve never made me question their love for me, so why would I question my own for them? They are among my greatest supporters, my worst critics, and my favorite people. And because I know that they have both been through hell and back, I am beyond grateful for everything they’ve done for me.

So here are a list of some things that I blame my parents for, and are really thankful for.

1. My sisters and brothers
2. My love for dogs
3. My great taste in music
4. My pretty rad hair
5. Growing up around extended family
6. Putting me in dance school
7. Having some awesome parents of your own, and letting them be active in our lives
8. Enrolling me in the dual language program in elementary school
9. Putting me in the Brentwood School District
10. Letting me stay in Brentwood
11. Not judging my friends in front of my face
12. Making me leave the house
13. Teaching me to appreciate sports, even if I don’t play them
14. Letting me be my own person, and have my own opinions
15. Giving me feet where my second toe isn’t longer than my big toe (feet just really freak me out, and that makes mine a little less ugly, okay?)
16. Going camping—the real way and the camper way
17. Taking trips to Disney World
18. Pushing me to do my best, but not pushing me into any direction I didn’t want to take
19. Not being the kind of parents who were just kind-of there
20. All the Christmas and birthday gifts over the years
21. For making me work for things I want
22. Being both a friend and a parent
23. Listening to my thousands of rants and complaints
24. Supporting all of your children, no matter the consequences
25. Loving me unconditionally

Prompt: The internet is full of rants. Help tip the balance: today, simply be thankful for something, or someone.