You know that part in Mean Girls where Regina George’s mom walks out and goes “I'm not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom?” Yeah, that line basically sums up my mother, in a nutshell.
Despite my mother being older than my friends and I, she's young at heart and even looks the part. My mom gets mistaken for being my sister and gets hit on more than I do when we are out and about. My guy friends always call her hot (cringe) and my girlfriends consider her a confidant and text and call my momma regularly. She’s more fun than I am — sometimes I wonder if the reason why my friends come over so often is to just see my mom. Everyone who meets her loves her.
My mom never wants to be called Mrs. Porter but by her first name, Mattea. She always is looking out for cute guys to hook me up with, and usually to my embarrassment she finds a way to strike up a conversation to introduce me. I remember one time she pulled out a high-fashion magazine with Kim Kardashian wearing only body paint and showed it to my crush during my freshman year of high school. The woman I love so much proclaimed, “See, her butt is not that nice! Fallon’s is way better.” I wanted to cry. Looking back at that moment, she was and still is the coolest person I know.
I will never forget the time my mom went out to a nightclub with me in Italy because I didn't have anyone my age to go with. She’s the life of the party, and will be the first person dancing on the table at Mardi Gras. My cool mom embarrasses me to no end, but I’ve grown to love it. I steal more clothing from her than my older sister. My mom makes me laugh with her ridiculous texts and the way she casually makes fun of my dad, my sisters and me to our faces. She is the only person I know who will try to learn to twerk and take the best possible selfies. Mattea can keep up with social media — my mom is on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat — and yes, she is friends with my friends on each platform.
My sisters and I can always talk to my mom about anything. I tell my mom everything, and she won't ever judge me. Usually, her response to my shenanigans is “I was there once.” Mama Porter makes me feel like I can move past anything. My friends all at one point or another have gone to her for relationship, friendship, and family advice. She always knows what to say and reflects on her youth — my mom can relate to anyone and everyone.
My family is super adventurous; we go scuba diving, hike for days on end, ski double blacks, and live pretty fearlessly. We celebrate our accomplishments and take the saying "work hard, play hard" to a new level. It seems like everyone in my family does everything 200%; there is no holding back.
My mom is by no means irresponsible as this post makes her sound. She kicks my butt to do the right thing, get good grades, and work hard. A concept my mother values is working hard and playing hard. She wants me to have fun and get the most out of life on my own terms. I have grown up with so much trust and freedom from my parents. I think that the way they raised me has allowed me to value trust and not ever want to violate it. It also pushes me to make them proud of me, and to never regret the freedom they gave me when I lived at home. My mother is passionate about everything she does and invests in what she loves — family, honesty, and friendship. Without her, who knows where I'd be.
My mom raised my sisters and me, which was and still is a full-time job. She takes care of my dad and keeps us all happy. She is the most protecting woman I have ever met. My mom's young attitude and loud laughter have taught me to never apologize for being myself and owning what makes me different. Seeing the places that we have gone in the past and where we are going next as a family, I think that any parent would be insane not to trust his or her child to make the right choices, to succeed, and to find their own motivation to do the right thing. Here’s to cool moms everywhere, keep on doing you.
