If you don’t know or have never met my mom, I am genuinely sorry. Every single one of my friends, past and present, who has gotten to know her has told me how nice, funny, and cool she is. (I agree, for the most part…) But in all seriousness, I think people too often take their mothers for granted. One of the most shocking things I’ve ever heard was somebody, back one year ago in high school, say that they hate their mother. They were one hundred percent serious—it wasn’t something like, “Ugh, I got in a fight with my mom, I hate her, she’s so annoying sometimes.” It was a genuine, “I hate my mom. I can’t wait to move out.” Plain as day. I remember being quite irritated about that. I couldn’t imagine the part of me that loves my mom so dearly being completely nonexistent. It seemed absolutely outrageous.
In reality, I think I’m just really, really lucky.
My mom, aside from being so caring and beautiful, is absolutely the smartest and strongest person I know. She’s gone through so many of the same things I have, and she has always given me the best advice and wisdom. I share pretty much everything with my mom. Throughout all of my grade school years, up through high school, she knew about every aspect of drama in my life and often predicted most of it. In the moment, though, I feel like too many people, including myself in various instances, overlook the comments made by their mothers. It turned out that any suspicions my mom had turned out to be true. But instead of saying “I told you so,” my mom always simply offers her unconditional support and, when needed, a comforting shoulder to cry on.
When I think of my mom, I think of warmth, comfort, and happiness. We have our differences occasionally, and as I’ve gotten older I sometimes don’t behave as respectfully as I should. But when it comes down to it, I respect her immensely and appreciate absolutely everything she does and has done for me. She was there for every cold, flu, cut, and bruise in my younger years (and still to this day, given my hypochondriac-like tendencies). In my older, more recent years, she’s been there through all of the breakups, friendship troubles, periods of immense grief over losing loved ones, and other coming-of-age related struggles. Whatever I’m going through, I know that a hug from my mom will make things better, even if just momentarily. She helps me remember that the most important part of life is family.
So, mom, on this Mother’s Day, I want you to know how much I love you. I say “I love you” often, but I want to really take the time in this article to tell you that without you, I would be absolutely lost. I know that you’ll always be there for me no matter what, and I hope you know just how much I really appreciate you. Thank you for helping me stay sane, and for always making the best judgments. Thank you for everything.
Mom, when you think about it, not much has changed between us in the past almost-twenty years. When I was little, I would crawl into your bed and we would watch Little Bear at ungodly hours of the morning, and now, we watch shows like Tiny House Hunters, commenting on how ridiculous some of the people’s choices are (they never pick the right house). I love going to the mall together, getting lunch or dinner, or just sitting in the living room having long talks. I am so grateful that we have the relationship we do. I know that nothing will ever change, and that we’ll always stay as close as we are now. I love you, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.
