My mom is my best friend. After all, she was my first friend.
From packing school lunches at midnight to driving my siblings and me around early in the morning, my mom somehow seems to do it all. While to many she may just seem like a normal mom, she will always be a superhero in my eyes.
Ever since I was little, I've looked up to my mom in hopes of one day being even the slightest bit the woman she is. Throughout my 18 years of life, there are many lessons she has taught me that I can't thank her enough for and I will never forget. Here are just a few of those that I hold close to my heart.
1. Hard work always pays off.
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Throughout my time living at home, I was constantly busy. Balancing school, extracurriculars, work, and a social life wasn't always the easiest thing to do for me. I can remember countless times when I stayed up doing work until the sun began to rise and cried because I was so exhausted. However, my mom's constant reminders that my hard work would pay off always kept me going. Without her reminders, I would have most likely given up on things who have made me the woman that I am today.
2. Wash your makeup off before bed.
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This one may sound pretty self-explanatory but can be so easy to forget. After a long day or night, there is nothing more I want than to jump straight into my bed and pass out. Luckily, because of my mom, there is a little light bulb that lights up in my head and reminds me to wash my makeup off before I hop into bed. Thanks to her I never have to worry about morning breakouts or dirty pillowcases.
3. A little kindness goes a long way.
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My mom is one of the kindest people I have ever met. Regardless of how someone treats her, she always is nice in return. Growing up, she constantly encouraged me to be nice to people, even the ones who weren't so nice to me. I have always been taught to treat the janitor with the same respect I would use to treat a CEO. Learning that lesson at a young age helped me to avoid unnecessary drama and make connections I would've never thought I could have.
4. Close the shower curtain after your shower.
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For about three straight years, I had my name screamed to go back and close the shower curtain every day after getting out of the shower. I never really understood the importance of doing it but living on my own has taught me that I should've started listening to my mom earlier. Mold is not your friend and I now remember to close the shower curtain every time I get out. It only takes two seconds, just do it.
5. Not everybody is going to like you.
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This statement can be very hard to accept. This is something the two of us constantly remind each other. I've always been a people pleaser and my mom is the same way. When I sense that somebody around me doesn't like me or is rude to me, I get upset very easily. People can be mean and sometimes it seems like there is no reason for it. You never really know what is going on inside someone's head. Whether they're being rude to you because they are insecure or just bored, you shouldn't let somebody else's view of you make you feel down. For every person that doesn't like you, there is a handful more that do.
6. Complaining is a waste of time.
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As humans, not everything is always going to go the way we want it to. However, you are in control of your own happiness. When something goes wrong you can either choose to make the best out of it or sit around and sulk. Being taught to take the path where I make the best out of things has made me a lot happier than the people who decide to sit around and sulk.
7. Know your priorities.
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My mom always has a lot going on in her life but still manages to make time for her family and friends. While sometimes it can be hard to get a reach of her when she's working, she is always there if I need her. My mom believes that family is a priority and always makes sure that we feel we are being put first.
8. Learn from your mistakes.
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Mistakes are inevitable. Nobody is perfect and everybody messes up at times. There is no reason to get upset and think everything is ruined because of a mistake. Making the best out of your mistakes and looking at them as a learning opportunity can help to teach you important life lessons. Making mistakes and learning from them is a necessary part of growing up.
9. Mothers do know best.
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I can't think of a single instance where my mom has told me something was going to go wrong and it didn't. In high school, I can remember bickering with my mom when she didn't like a certain one of my friends or didn't think it was smart for me to go somewhere. Yet every single time the friends she didn't feel the best about ended up hurting me and the places she didn't want me to go ended up being sketchy. Thank you for always having my best interest.
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