“We are your biggest fans, Shelby.” “We’ll always love you.” “You’ll always be our little girl.” “Shel, if you’re happy, we’re happy.”

I have a great relationship with my parents. It has been a relationship of trial and error, of ups and downs, but of course, lots of learning on both of our parts. My favorite thing about my relationship with my parents is how vocal we are with each other. If there is something going on in my life that is upsetting me or confusing me, I know they are there for me and will give me their wise opinion. I can share things about myself with them that I can’t tell everyone else. A great thing about mom and dad is that they offer themselves to me for whenever I need them, but they never force themselves or their opinion on me if I didn’t specifically ask for it. We have some kind of unspoken agreement with each other that I will come to them when the going gets tough, and it will be completely unsolicited.

My relationship with the ‘rents does affect my friendships. In the 15 years I’ve been on this earth, my parents have done a pretty fair job of teaching me right from wrong. If a friend is treating me badly, and I know in my heart my parents would never say that treatment is right, then my feelings toward that friend will obviously change. If my parents wouldn’t treat me that way, then neither should that friend.

For example:

My friend, Anna* was talking about how annoying my voice was, and how she winced every time I opened my mouth. She told some of my friends. When her comments made it back to me, I assessed the facts and concluded that my parents wouldn’t say that is right of her to say that. I trust their judgment and therefore knew that Anna had done wrong to me.

My parents are awesome models for a dating relationship. They are a total team, which is what I want out of any relationship. Everything is balanced. I would never want a relationship where I didn’t give much, but got a lot in return. On the flip side, I would hate to give a whole bunch to someone and hardly get anything in return. My parents take turns cooking dinner, they share everything, neither one of them has/gets any more than the other. I asked my mom what she thinks about their relationship and she firmed it up in one sentence for me, “It’s our home, our lives with each other, our everything put together.” They are a complete unit, and that’s why they are such a model for me when it comes to my “love life.”

My parents are completely awesome and I feel very lucky to have such a great relationship with them. It seems like nowadays, teenagers are drifting farther and farther away from the very ones who gave them life.

Do you have a strong relationship with your parents? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments whether your relationship with mom and/or dad is strong like Shelby’s or something different.

*names have been changed

Shelby is 15 and from Shreveport, Louisiana. She is a member of The National Campaign’s Youth Leadership Team. Shelby is a true master of disguise; not only can she accurately imitate dozens of accents and dialects, her chameleon-like abilities allow her to blend into her surroundings. We still haven’t found her. Have a question for Shelby? Email us!