On May 12 and come June 16, stores across America were and will be flooded with customers waiting to purchase chocolates, cards, flowers, gift cards and other gifts for parents from their ever-so-loving children. While I do shower my mother and father with appreciation and am part of this line at the cash register, I ponder the questions: Why must one have a designated day in order to appreciate their parents? Why shouldn’t we celebrate them every day of the year?

To be honest, these thoughts upset me. I feel blessed that my parents have been and still are wonderful mentors and role models for me, but even so I am guilty of not showing them how much I care. Since I am only a year away from moving onto the next chapter of my life, college, I am undeniably upset that I chose to treat Mother’s and Father’s Day as an annual celebration of my parents, when, in reality, every day should be Mother’s and Father’s Day.

Don’t get me wrong, presenting my parents with a bouquet of flowers and an assortment of chocolates everyday may not be the answer, but showing my appreciation and genuine love and care for all they have done for me may just be the right thing to do. If I was asked to name a day when my parents did not care for me, I wouldn’t be able to name one. They support, help, guide and care for me seven days a week, 24 hours a day and for that, they deserve my utmost appreciation. It’s the little things each day that make my parents, and all the wonderful parents in this world, deserving of my “thank you’s.” From putting food on the table, doing my laundry or driving me around place to place for 16 years, they do more for me than I could ever imagine.

I encourage you to forget the social standards society applies on these two annual “holidays,” and I hope you, as well as I, can learn to appreciate our parents each and every day, as they may be the most deserving people of all.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Hannah Gretz at [email protected].

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