The best moms are our first friend to walk into our lives and never is one to leave. When the rest of the world walks out, the best moms are the ones staying by your side through it all. While my mom has attributed selflessness that makes me hope to be half the mother she is to my own children someday, here are a few that never fail and make her “the best mom out there:

1. She has always taught me that family comes first

My mom will always stay loyal to all her family members. Whenever one of her sisters makes a mistake, she forgives. If my dad has a long day at work, my mom always has dinner ready at home and an ear to listen. My mom has always mediated fights between my sister and me, no matter how ridiculous or immature they may be. She has always put our family before others and has emphasized the importance of family time being spent together. Ultimately, my mom is the rock that holds our family together no matter how hard circumstances may be.

2. She listens when I talk, but hears me when I don’t

Some days, I call my mom about 3 or 5 times (or more) to tell her the most irrelevant things. I admit, that on some occasions, I am guilty of having these phone calls consist of me narrating a pointless 10-minute story, and never asking her about her day once I finished. My mom always listens to me whenever I need to vent, hear advice or just talk about nothing. She knows when I am calling because I am lonely and although I never admit to it, she listens to me babble on anyway just to make me feel closer to her when we are.

3. She makes you feel confident even when you aren’t

My mom always encourages me to strive to be my best. Whenever I am unsure of my own abilities, she emboldens me and makes me believe in myself. Sometimes when I feel like I am not doing enough, I am alone in this world, and I am a failure in all aspects of life - my mom puts things in perspective, telling me how proud she is of me, and at 22 years old nothing is permanent.

4. You hear “I love your mom” whenever she is brought up in conversation.

I bring up my mom constantly in conversations, in which the person who knows my mom will usually gush how much she loves her. When my best friends come over the first thing they ask is, “Where’s your mom?”, which pretty much implies they partly come over just to see her, but hey, they don’t get to live with my amazing mom, so they have the right to.

5. You always want to say, “I got it from my mama.”

Overall, all the characteristics my mom embodies I strive to as well. Her strength, inner and outer beauty, caring nature, love for adventure and selflessness are all qualities I hope to portray on my little girl someday like she has to me. My mom always makes others feel welcome, in and out of our home and faces every situation with class. I can tell her anything, my deepest darkest secrets and know she would never tell a soul. She is not just my mom, but my best friend. The ultimate compliment is when someone tells me how much I remind them of my mom; I smile and hope it’s true because she's everything I could wish to be someday.