So, I know it’s technically after Mother’s Day now… but with a mom like mine, every day should be Mother’s Day! If you’re blessed enough to find yourself in a situation like mine, your mom is pretty much your everything. She’s a jack-of-all-trades (and a master of each one, contrary to the saying). My mom is not just a mom; I bet the same goes for you.
1. The Chauffeur
My poor mom has had the job of personal chauffeur for my entire life, and I’m sure pretty much all moms have done the same. Between school, activities, sports, and friends, moms tend to turn into unpaid Uber drivers. Thank your mom for the astounding amounts of gas money she shelled out to make sure you were one of those “well-rounded kids.”
2. The Hype Man
From my start at two-years old through my days on my current college team, my mother has had to embrace the unfortunate world of the real-life dance mom. (Side note: it is as awful as the show makes it seem!) I am 21 years old-- I know I am not the world’s best prima ballerina. However, my mother is thankfully blinded by love. I ask her if she noticed me fall out of a turn or not hold a leg extension as long as I should have, and her response is always, “What?? You fell? I couldn’t tell! Everything you do is wonderful and I LOVE YOU!!!” (This is not an exaggeration…)
Maybe it wasn’t with dance, but I know your mom was your hype man. She might have screamed at refs for unfair calls. Your kicks into the wrong soccer goal were a major breakthrough and the first step to a college athletic career. You were- and still are- an all-star in her eyes, no matter what you (or the rest of the world) may say.
3. The Therapist
I can’t even count how many times I have come crying to my mother about some stupid boy… this year alone. My mom didn’t pursue psychology in college, but boy has she had to become good at it over the course of my lifetime.
That’s the thing with moms: no matter how much they warn you against going down “the wrong path,” they will always be there to catch you when you inevitably fall off that path altogether. Moms provide the shoulder to cry on, the chocolate (or, in my case, guacamole) to eat away the pain, and a Netflix subscription for you to vicariously live your love life through some fictional character.
4. The Doctor
I can’t tell you how many times my mother has had to deal with my injuries and sicknesses. That poor woman has dealt with more bleeding and vomiting than anyone ever should, and she (like me) is grossed out by all of it. But for my sake, she always fought through the gross. Moms are like doctors, but less terrifying and far more tragically underpaid.
5. The Best Friend
My mom was my first best friend, and I hope that's a feeling that many others get to experience. We have done everything together since I was a baby. I went everywhere with her and (tried to) do everything she did. She even pretended to like all the same things as me so that we could do the together. Since she never shooed me away, we're now attached at the hip. To my friends who ask me why I go hoe at least once a week... she's why.
I know moms are a million other things I didn't mention-- they assume a million different roles, sometimes all within one day. So, one more time, let me just say thank you to my mom (and all the awesome moms out there) for doing all of it.
Mom, you got me through potentially the worst year of my entire life. While we were all falling apart, you set aside your pain to try to take away mine. A thank you and I love you is not enough for all you do. I do what I do, I am what I am, all because of you. You are my biggest inspiration and my reason for being.
