A Thank you to My Parents

By Youma Kromer

The Beginning of Us

My parents are not ordinary parents. They never were.
When they met, they each already had three children each , six teenagers in total, none of whom wanted to be a family. Chaos, arguments, slammed doors, tears, disappointment , this was the soundtrack of their early years together. And then, when the kids found out I was coming, the noise only grew louder. More fights. More fear. More doubt.

But here’s the one thing my parents do: they never give up.
My mother, with her endless love and genuine care. My father, with his safety, his consistency, his presence. Together, they built a home from fragments, a family from resistance, a story from broken beginnings.

Now, together we are one family. Messy. Loud.Full of love.Full of life. And it is ours. And that is the greatest gift I have ever been given.

Love Built Into Forever

My parents didn’t have an easy start. Nothing was handed to them, and yet they chose each other , and kept choosing, every single day. My dad still calls it “love at first sight,” but what amazes me is how that love never stayed just a feeling. They built it into something unshakable. Something that carried us all.

They are my role models, my proof that unconditional love is real. Because of them, I never had to wonder if I was wanted, if I was enough. I never had to cling to people who hurt me ,not friends, not boys , because I knew I already had a foundation that would never break.

They taught me I could dream without limits. They never laughed at my ambitions; they believed them into being. Even when I was little, they asked for my opinion, took my words seriously, made me feel like my voice mattered.

And when the world felt like it was falling apart, when the storms inside me raged too loudly, they were there. Arms that held me. Voices that reminded me: the storm will pass, the world is bigger than this moment, and I am stronger than I think. With them, every ending became a lesson. Every fall, a chance to rise.

My Mother: The Quiet Hero

My mother is sunshine. Not the loud, burning kind, but the kind that warms you , and you come to realize that  you couldn’t live without it. She is my safety, my shelter, my compass. She is beauty, intelligence, and strength stitched together in the most graceful, unshakable way.

She never demands attention because she doesn’t need to. She knows who she is. And everyone else knows it too. My friends trust her with their secrets. Strangers trust her with their hearts. Families and children walk into her office broken, and somehow, they leave a little more whole , because she carries wisdom that people don’t just hear, they feel.

But what she means to me goes beyond all that. It’s in the quiet nights when my world was crashing down and she walked into my room like a light cutting through the storm. She didn’t just listen; she understands me. She held me until my fear softened, until my words came back, and then she taught me the lesson I carry everywhere: that speaking your feelings isn’t weakness. It is the bravest thing you can do.

She is my superwoman. The one who shields me when I need it, but also steps back and lets me stumble when it’s the only way I’ll learn , always close enough to catch me before I break. With her, I’ve never had to question love. I’ve never had to doubt whether I matter. I trust her like no one else, because I know her love has no limits, no conditions, no end.

And though she is too humble to ever admit how extraordinary she is, I will never stop saying it: she is the strongest, most radiant, most inspiring woman I have ever known. She is not just my mother. She is the reason I know what love feels like. She is my quiet hero , and always will be.

My Father: The Fearless Teacher

My father is the smartest man I know , not because of books, but because of life. He is curiosity embodied, adventure in human form. He is full of stories, full of laughter, full of life. He taught me to ski, to swim, to tell a joke the right way. He taught me bravery, not through lectures, but by simply being beside me. Fear melts away in his presence.

He is the man who says yes to every dream.
“Dad, I want to be a pilot.” — “Yes, you can.”
“Dad, I want to be a writer.” — “Then start writing. What’s stopping you?”

His faith in me has no ceiling. He believes without hesitation. But his love isn’t just encouragement , it’s truth. “There’s no free lunch,” he always says, and though as a child I rolled my eyes, now I carry that lesson like armor. Work hard, stay steady, earn it — he showed me that every dream is worth the fight.

He is my safe place, my compass when the world feels uncertain. The one who has worked endlessly, sacrificed quietly, given without keeping count , all to build the life we have. His love is stitched into every choice he made for us, every long hour, every moment he put us before himself.

And above all, he is the one I can always count on. I know , no matter where I am, no matter what I’m facing , he will be there. 

He is my father, my teacher, my protector. And in his arms, I know the world is safe. I know I can do anything. Because with him, I have never once stood alone.

A Team ,Unstoppable duo. Balance itself 

The truth is, I cannot talk about my parents without talking about them together. They are not just two people , they are a team. An unstoppable duo. Yin and yang. Balance itself.

Play them in a board game, and you’ll lose. They don’t just know the rules better,they know each other. They anticipate, finish each other’s thoughts, carry one another without even thinking. Life works the same way. Where one burns bright, the other steadies. Where one leads, the other listens.

No marriage is perfect , they’ll be the first to say that. But they’ve shown me something even greater: that love is not about perfection, but about persistence. About choosing each other in the storm and in the calm. They’ve taught me that partnership means doubling not just the joy, but also the weight , twice as hard, but always three times as beautiful.

Watching them, I’ve learned that true strength doesn’t come from standing alone, but from walking side by side. And that when you find the person who is your balance, your teammate, your love , nothing is impossible.

Thank You

So all of this is just to say thank you. Thank you for every sacrifice, every sleepless night, every move , yes, even across the world ,made for me. Thank you for every time you put me first, even when it cost you comfort, time, or dreams of your own.

I don’t know how I got so lucky to have parents who don’t just love me, but who believe in me with their whole hearts. Parents who fight for me when I cannot fight for myself. Parents who built their lives around giving me the freedom to dream , and the courage to chase those dreams without fear. What you’ve given me is more than parenting. It’s devotion. It’s strength. It’s extraordinary.

You are the first people I call when something goes wrong , but even more, you are the first I call when something goes right. Because every joy, every achievement, every step forward in my life is rooted in you , in the love you poured into me, the wisdom you passed down, the courage you modeled every single day.

You are the beginning and the forever of my story , everything I am is your echo, and everything I will become is your legacy. I will spend my life trying to honor the love you gave me.