If you find yourself sitting here right now reading this, I bet that means you are like me. That means that for a big majority, if not all of your life, you only had a mom. For me, I was raised by only my mother, and in my 19 years of life, there are many different things that I have learned from her and that she has taught me. Of course, like any other teenager, I choose to ignore some of those things even if I know they might be helpful (sorry, Mom!). But for the most part, as I continue to grow and age, I find myself remembering many different things my mom taught me over the years. I have to say that I am grateful to have learned and remember these 10 things from my mom:

1. Cooking and cleaning

Let's face it, everyone learns these two things eventually, but if you were raised by only a mom, then I can bet that you learned them at an extremely young age. Personally, I've been a master cooker and cleaner since I was like... 5. Needless to say, us kids with only our moms are going to make great spouses one day because these things have been embedded in our heads almost as long as the ability to recite the alphabet.

2. Caring for others

Now, I'm not saying that people who were raised by two parents, a single father, grandparents or anyone else aren't caring, but having only a mom in your life gives you kind of an upper hand in this category. Mothers are known to be one of the most caring people someone will have in their life, and if you spend almost 24 hours a day with your mom, you are bound to gain those caring and nurturing abilities. And let me tell you this, I know a lot of people who were raised by single mothers, and they are definitely the "mom" of their friend group!

3. Laundry!

This one this just deserves a category for itself. Is it cleaning? Yes. But this is a type of cleaning all its own. Whites, darks, lights, delicates. Hot, cold, warm. Tumble dry, air dry. When we were younger, all of that seemed like it was the hardest thing we would ever have to learn. But truthfully speaking, I am extremely happy that I learned the difference between using hot and cold water because I cannot tell you how many clothes I have had to rewash because a stain didn't come out since I chose to use cold water. And honestly, laundry takes enough time as is, so if you do it right the first time, it is much less painful! Trust me. So thanks, mom!

4. How to speak your mind

Everyone, at some point in their life, has experienced the attack of "mama bear." It is quite well known that mother bears will do anything to protect their cub, and trust me, that rolls over into the human category as well. So while we all try not to get our heads bitten off by an angry mom trying to protect her child (or fighting to get their kid an opportunity), experiencing this has taught us to always speak out minds. Nothing is ever going to get done unless you speak up and tell it like it is, so whether you are protecting something you care about it or you are trying to get some more registers to open up at Walmart, you can definitely thank your mom for the ability to speak your mind when needed.

5. Importance of education

Nobody wants you to succeed more than your mom does, so if you grew up with only your mom, then you know how important it is to get that diploma and to get that college degree. Sure, we spend anywhere between 16-20 years of our life hearing our mom ask about school, but in the end, it is her constant push while you were growing up that made you try so hard. And some years down the road when you become the same nagging parent to your own kids, you will finally be able to thank her for telling you how important it was to receive a good education.

6. The value of a dollar

If you are anything like me, I grew up with a single mom who was anything but a millionaire. Mac and cheese was a staple in house because it was a cheap and easy dinner that she could throw together when we were between paychecks or when she got home late from work because she took an extra shift to pay for the next thing you wanted. Even through that struggle though, you came out knowing that budgeting was one of the key things you need to do in order to get what you want.

7. How to work for what you want

As someone who was raised by only my mother, I can tell you that I definitely did not have all of the finer things in life while I was growing up. Did my mom try her best to give me everything I wanted? Yes! But of course there were still things I wanted that she could not give me. I learned at an early age that the only way to get all of things you want in life is to work for them, and to work hard! Also, savings accounts are actually a helpful thing to have. 10/10 would definitely recommend. (Now, if only I would have taken that more seriously before I started college...)

8. Good hygiene

Okay... the cat is out of the bag. If you went home after a long day of work, sports or adventuring and you only had a mom I can guarantee that you were one of the cleanest children in your neighborhood. Because why on earth would a single mother who spent all day working hard at the office (or wherever), who then came home to clean up the house from whatever mess was made, let you run through the house muddy and disgusting? The answer is no single mother. Long story short, kids of single mother's learned from a very young age how to take good care of themselves in that aspect. I guess your college roommate can thank your mom, too!

9. It is okay to cry

This one really does not need much explaining. Any kid who was raised by only their mom knows that you would probably need every hand in the world to count how many times you saw your mom crying. Eventually, we just learned that yeah, it's okay. So let the tears flow!

And lastly...

10. Life is hard

Nobody knows better than a single parent that life is hard. Let's face it... they had to raise your hard-headed butt, and that was hard enough. And that is not even including siblings, pets, jobs and bills. Life is rough, and it does not always work out the way you want it to. But we can all thank the single mothers out there for showing us that it can be done. (And they can raise some pretty awesome kids.)

All in all, there are many different things that individual people take away from being raised by single parents. For me, I am grateful that I learned these things from the strongest mother I know: my mom! Thank your moms, everyone, because not only did they bring you into this world, but they're the ones who are really teaching you about it.