This was a great exercise for me. I wrote a letter to my father saying thank you. My dad was so strict with me when I was a teenager - we fought like crazy. Now that my kids are teenagers, I realize how right he was. Every day by setting limits with love and explanations, he kept me close. I pushed back a lot but his experience in life guided him perfectly. As soon as I grew out of my teenage years - he died. He never experienced the “new me.” He can be proud that he laid the foundation and helped me become a responsible, caring adult “that doesn’t know everything.”
Thanks dad. I hope I can be as a good a parent as you were. Miss you.

I don't think I could have written this letter before I had kids. I love my parents and really appreciate what they've done for me and still do for me. But now that I have kids I understand how much they love me and want to help me succeed, even when I was younger and didn't always agree with them.