I don't exactly know when it happened. It definitely wasn't in high school when we were both ripping our hair out over each other's infuriating behaviors and passive-aggressive tendencies. It wasn't when I started college; that first year was hell when it came to finding a balance between respect and autonomy.
But somewhere in the last couple years, my mom has become one of my greatest friends and favorite human beings. With that being said, in this crossover of her as a strict parent to a partner in crime, dynamics have certainly changed.
And by changed, I mean that my mom has become waaay cooler, sassier and chill than I ever thought of being, at any point in my life.
She also has seemed to tap into her inner teenager...I feel like it's some kind of pent-up vengeance she has to release after the hell I put her through when I was in my teens.
She is overly-dramatic. She yells a lot and says "whatever!" way more than I did when I was a teenager (wait...maybe I introduced her to the world of eye rolls and whatevers...). She eats my leftovers when I leave them in the fridge for longer than an hour. And when I confront her, her eyes widen, her hands go up in the air, followed with a "WHAT?! You blame me for everything!" And I'm just like..."soooo...was that a yes...or?"
No joke, my mom literally stays up until 2 am watching Shameless. The classic teenage stoner's TV show. I can't even tell you how many times that shit has woken me up, blaring from her flatscreen so loud, her laughing her ass off, I swear there's an earthquake transpiring in the house.
Somehow, I spend way more money on her now. Sephora. Dinners. Skin products. ALCOHOL...you know, the kind I never even get to try because she hoards it into hiding.
She uses all my crap. My expensive lotion. The makeup I had to sell an organ for. The tack I won at horse shows. My decor. My patience...
Our roles have reversed in other ways too. I now have anxiety attacks when she drives; it's like we're riding in a Flinstone car while the rest of the world drives by 65 MPH faster.
She's no longer the one being called "boring"...some days she wakes up and is ready to take shots by 9 am. (Okay, so that only happens every now and then, but still, she is way more BA than I am.)
She can Snapchat and selfie like no other. Like "oh, okay cool mom let's take a photo, except could you maybe try not to look so mf amazing, please?
The whole world doesn't have to think we're sisters because you look 100 years younger and have a perfect smile, while I'm over here trying not to look like I'm in pain."
She is waaaay more laid back. Five years ago I swear, I couldn't get away with anything! Now, we team up in stealing money from my dad's wallet, we mess with people constantly without missing a beat.
Just a few weeks ago we hosted a baby shower and totally stole some of the prize candy before we even got to where the shower was being held. She even tries to convince me to call into work!
I feel like the older I get, the cooler my mom is. Maybe I didn't see it before, and I'm just starting to appreciate all the ways she makes my life brighter, more fun and more entertaining. Maybe she just did a really good job at being a parent and not a friend when I was growing up.
My mom is one of my very best friends. She's hilarious, she's impatient, she's giving and she's someone I can throw my entire personality at, on any day, and still be loved the next.
So maybe she was strict when I was growing up...but she taught me things that I appreciate in more ways than I can express. And I feel like that has given me a greater sense of gratitude in calling her my friend.
