Teenager thanks 'drug addict' parents for teaching her independence in emotional open letter

'Thank you for not being there for me when I needed you. You've gave me the greatest lesson of how to be independent'

An 18-year-old girl has penned an emotional letter to her 'drug addict parents' thanking them for teaching her that 'life is not sunshine and rainbows'.

Chelsea Cameron, a teenager from Scotland, has opened up in a heartfelt post on her blog about the things she's learnt from her parents, and thanked them for teaching her to be independent.

The impressive young woman stepped away from her family home four years ago, aged 14, and in that time has lived with various family and friends before living independently.

In her open letter she describes how her mum missed her younger brother's first day of school, explaining that though disappointing it taught her to step up and take her place.

'Mum, thank you for that day that you couldn't make it to take Justin to his first day of school. That meant I got to go with him. As you can imagine he was a little nervous.'

Chelsea addresses her parents in the letter, and explains how their failures have ensured that she will never follow in their footsteps.

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'Parents, both of you, thank you for teaching me that taking drugs ruin lives, breaks families apart and gives no one a quality of life worth living.'

'I'll be eternally grateful for this lesson you have taught me which has a message which has stuck by me until this day and always will, I have never and will never have a desire to take harmful substances through your example.'

In words wise beyond her years, Chelsea comments on how important ambition is, something she's shown by becoming head girl at her school and taking the trip of a lifetime to do charity work in Uganda.

'Thank you for teaching me to be ambitious. Your example showed me that no ambition for education, work or any type of success is very harmful and leads to not a lot of self worth.'

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'Thank you for not being there to wave goodbye as I jetted off to Uganda on a trip of a lifetime, thanks for not being there when I got my first set of exam results to say well done, thanks for not being there when I got the position of head girl (a personal dream), thanks for not being there for me as I stood in front hundreds of people to speak at the Caird Hall for my school prize giving, thank you for not being there for me when I needed you. You've gave me the greatest lesson of how to be independent.'

Chelsea ends her letter with heart-wrenching forgiveness for her parents, offering them to be a part of her life if they become sober.

'I hope one day that you'll wake up and realise there is so much more the world has to offer you guys and when that day comes , please come to find me so we can enjoy life together.'

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