1. You never grew up afraid of talking to them about something.

Sex? Drugs? A little bit of rock n’ roll? Whatever. It was totally fine. You never grew up with the idea that there were subjects that were “off limits” for you and your parents. You were open, transparent, and able to ask them questions when those questions presented themselves. It made you who you are today and you know that should something happen, you can talk to your parents about literally anything.

2. You learn the importance of honesty.

Because of that level of transparency, you know that lying or withholding will only hurt on person (aka: YOU) in the long run. So you don’t do it. You live your life as a completely open book. And on the real? You know you’re happier because of it.

3. You aren’t the kid in college with no idea how to deal.

You were absolutely not the person who got to college with absolutely no idea what to do. You were able to live, grow, and thrive without having to call home crying every other weekend. Instead, you were the person calling your mom or dad to completely gush about what a fantastic time you were having. Because you didn’t grow up with helicopter parents, you learned how to stand on your own two feet. It followed you through elementary school, middle school, high school, and you knew it would follow you far, far, beyond.

4. You learn to own your shit.

When you grow up with parents who let you slip up, sometimes you’re bound to fall. And sometimes, you fall really, really hard. But because of this, you learn to pick yourself back up. You don’t expect someone to brush up the shards of glass and put anything back together for you. You own your stuff, and you know you’ve got this.

5. You grow up faster.

There’s a certain level of maturity that comes from growing up around people who don’t treat you like a fragile, breakable, little doll. You figured out pretty quickly on that there wasn’t always going to be someone there to fix things. And because of this, you’re very capable and independent. You still love your parents and know you can tell them anything. But you can tell them after the fact instead of calling them in a panic because you don’t know what to do.

6. You learned your limits early on.

You learned how to drink, how late you could stay up, what things don’t mix, and how to generally handle yourself without having to be lectured every other Sunday afternoon. When your parents allow you to figure out your life yourself, you figure it out pretty damn quickly. You were absolutely NOT the person in college who had no idea how to live on their own without spiraling; you had it locked down.

7. You can quickly become the mom or dad for your group of friends.

But, because of this independence, you’re a naturally nurturing and maternal/paternal human being. You have the ability to recognize that not everyone was raised and freely and without limits as you were, and so you tend to gravitate towards those who were not. You care for them, watch out for them, and generally try to make sure they’re okay. You’ve got their back just like your parents had yours.

8. Your life was never limited.

You didn’t hear things like, “If you don’t get such-and-such a grade in this class there will be consequences,” or, “No. That’s not something THIS family does.” You were allowed to explore, to adventure. You were allowed to find your own self. You never felt smothered or limited by your family because you were generally encouraged to become exactly who you wanted/needed to be.

9. You don’t grow up with the overwhelming fear of disappointing someone.

You know that mistakes happen, that sometimes things don’t go according to plan. And you aren’t worried about acknowledging those ‘less than perfect’ moments because you recognize that they’re simply a part of life. When you grow up with parents who are chill, you never fret over having to tell them something. You just say it, deal with it, and move on. And that is so, so refreshing.

10. Your life was never dictated by rules that served no greater purpose.

You never really grew up asking why or feeling like rolling your eyes about a dumb rule because those rules just didn’t really exist. The rules that were set in place made sense; they were logical. You weren’t expected to be home at an outlandishly early time or supposed to even pretend that you wanted to go to Harvard Law simply because a family member did. You were expected to a be an honest, good person…and that was enough.

11. You’ve learned how to ask ‘why’.

‘Why’ wasn’t a dirty word in your house, it was encouraged. You know how to ask for explanations without being argumentative or disrespectful. And it’s something that has served you well in almost every aspect of your life.

12. You were allowed to make, and subsequently learn from, your own mistakes.

You didn’t grow up afraid of screwing up. You were able to realize that it’s simply a part of life. Sure, your mistakes were acknowledged; it wasn’t like they just ignored them. But you were allowed (and expected) to figure it out and not make the same mistake again. It provided you a world were you could grown and expand as a human being without fear. And that’s truly invaluable.

13. You aren’t hesitant to try new things.

You aren’t afraid what ifs or what could bes. You simply live. You don’t let the fear of the unknown or the possibility of something going wrong completely control your life. You live freely and without inhibition.

14. You’ve grown up with the ability to create your own boundaries.

Because boundaries weren’t set into place for you, you’ve learned to set your own. It’s a maturity thing. You aren’t afraid of saying no or just deciding you want to do something because you fully, fully know yourself.

15. You don’t have residual guilt lingering in the back of your mind.

You didn’t grow up with a fear of disappointing someone, so you don’t have that lingering guilt anywhere after the fact. You are able to make decisions, make choices, and deal with the aftermath without worrying about someone else’s judgement. You don’t really care about how someone else is going to read you or your choices. You simply care about what you think.

16. You don’t sweat the small stuff.

Curfews? No big thing. Late nights? It’s fine. Swearing? What the fuck ever. You know what’s really important in life and don’t get all worried and worked up about stuff that doesn’t actually matter in the long run.

17. You grew up with people who you truly knew loved you no matter what.

Because you had parents who allowed you to morph and grow into your truest self, you know that they accept you. You know that through whatever they’ll be there for you and have your back and you know that they’ll never judge you for anything. It’s them and how they are that has shaped you into who YOU are, and you couldn’t love them back harder for it.