The correct statement that describes the translation from the parent function \( f(x) = x^2 \) to the transformed function \( f(x) = x^2 - 3 \) is:
The parent function shifted vertically down 3 units and did not change in any other way.
This is because the transformation involves subtracting 3 from the output of the function, which results in a downward shift. There is no horizontal shift or change in the width of the parabola.