Day 19 - Disrespecting your parents.

I think that it is important to show respect for your parents if they are raising you in a decent way. Unless they are abusive, then respect goes out the window. But if they are feeding you, clothing you, teaching you right from wrong and giving you a decent life, heck ya, give them some respect! Maybe they don't buy you the things you want, maybe you don't get to do all the fun things your friends are going, but if you have parents that love you enough to at least TRY to do right by you, why not show them some appreciation for what they do for you? Before it is too late to do so... Trust me on this, the day will come when they are gone and it sucks to be left wishing you had told them "I love you" one more time, that you had spent just one more day with them and told them how much you appreciate what they sacrificed for you. Because they did, whether you realize it or not, parents DO sacrifice things for their kids.

I wasn't raised my whole life by my parents. My dad died when I was a baby, not even a year old, and for various reasons, my mom was unable to raise me after I turned four. Instead, my grandparents (my dad's parents) raised me and my siblings. They didn't have to do it, they could have left us for someone else to take care of, but they didn't. They sacrificed their retirement for us so that we would be raised the way their son wanted us to be raised.

It wasn't until after my grandfather passed away that I realized how much more I could have shown him the love and appreciation that I had for everything he gave up to take us in. The same with my grandmother, even though I tried to show her more. I could have done so much more than I did, even then.  I could have helped out more when she was cooking, cleaning, running errands... I could have hugged her more, kissed her on the cheek more often, spent time watching the shows she liked even if I didn't like them that much myself. Anything that would have put a smile on her face more often.

Sadly, I didn't do more of those things, not to the level I should have and now it is too late to do it. I look back and wish that I had done just one more thing with her, for her... And I dread the day that I am the one wishing my children/grandchildren would spend just one more day with me, give me one more kiss on the cheek, one more hug, hear them say one more "I love you" before walking out the door.