The Tear-Jerking Way 1 Girl Honored Her Parents' Strength at Her Graduation

On Madeleine Tarin's high school graduation day, she knew the exact family portrait that she wanted to take. Not because she had been considering lighting or angles but because she and her parents had done it before — 17 years ago.

In the original photo, Madeleine was just a toddler celebrating her mom's accomplishments, and she wanted to re-create the meaningful snapshot in honor of how far their family has come together. "My mom was 15 while pregnant with me, she had me at 16. My dad was 17," Madeleine shared with the Love What Matters Facebook page. "My parents were judged a lot during this time but stayed strong together."

The grateful teen explained that after she was born, her parents each lived with their own parents while still working to raise her together, and now she has two little sisters who are also looking up to her parents as role models. "They were determined to make it and provide me with a future," she wrote. "Today, they have a strong, loving marriage."

The original photo has served as a source of inspiration for Madeleine over the years, and she knew that she wanted to take it again after accepting her college offer and decided that high school graduation was the perfect opportunity. "I also wanted it to be a reflection to show them how far we've come together as a family. My parents have always been my motivation to be successful in high school and now strive to do well in college," she wrote. "I couldn't ask for a more loving, supportive family than the one God gave me. Yeah that's right, we made it TOGETHER."