I really suck at saying goodbye. Four out of five dentists agree that when I want to say goodbye, I usually just walk out of the room, leave the house with a hurried farewell or slip out of the party with whatever free stuff I could appropriate and conceal on my person.

After reading through several farewells from old editors and past columnists, I’ve determined I cannot do shout outs, give the usual college advice or cynically criticize the University as I write this farewell. I kind of surprised even myself with that last one: I’ve spent 28 months writing constant criticisms of everyone and everything under the sun — to bring out the good ‘ole sports metaphor, that’s right in my wheelhouse on my home turf.

So here’s what you get instead of the usual “I’m gonna miss this University” spiel (I’m returning for graduate school), the typical “get involved on campus” routine (far too cliché) or the “now that Oblinger and Mary Easley resigned, the only one left to quit is Lee Fowler” schtick (that’s what the intertubes and the WolfWeb are for). You get the advice I’d give to almost every student on campus: at some point, thank your parents and tell them you love them for all they have done for you and all of your crap they had to put up with. Because they deserve it.

We all come to college with some expectations about independence and finally getting out of the house and being on our own. And for the most part, we are as independent as we can be in the increasingly interdependent world we live in today. We have to pick ourselves up every morning and get to class, go to work and try to succeed, all while — at some point — reaching an age where we are legally adults (albeit ones who cannot drink alcohol legally for another three years).

Yet we can easily forget the fact that most of us didn’t get through K-12 on our own or lose the sense of home we had when growing up. And just as easily, we can forget that our parents — despite all the times they seemed to be against us — still loved and are very proud of us, regardless of the ups and downs. Given all the ups and downs I’ve gone through at N.C. State, I wouldn’t blame or resent my parents for letting me sink or swim on my own. The fact that they stuck with me throughout it all is something I could not see at the time to be priceless.

I know it’s not exactly a universal sentiment: there are the rare exceptions where people have terrible parents or the cases where the parents cannot be there due to illness or legal separation. But for the majority of people — as is usually the case — the distribution is normal and plenty of students have parents who supported them throughout their lives. And despite all the fights, disagreements and perceived anguish your parents may have caused you growing up, you are a better person for it. You are here, at an outstanding academic institution, looking to acquire the skills to be successful; the results speak for themselves.

It’s on that sentiment that I bid all the people who read the words I wrote for this newspaper a fond farewell. And on that sentiment, I say this to my biggest and most loyal fans: there aren’t exactly convenient mountaintops for me to yell this from, so I’m stuck with a newspaper column, but I love you Mom and Dad. Thanks for sticking with me for 23 years and counting.