My mom and I are close. Super close. A kind of “I-can-tell-her-everything-about-anything-and-always-want-to-talk-to-her” close. I love and cherish this relationship with my mom. She and I are basically the same person, as anyone who’s met us would tell you. A big reason why I feel like we’re so close is because of how close in age we are. Some people would hate to be so close in age to their parents, but I personally love it. Not only is she my mom, but she’s my best friend.
In my opinion, it’s helped us have a bond that’s like no other. Something about our age makes us able to talk about things easier. She understands completely what I’m going through...because she was just recently there.
My mom is a teacher, and a lot of the time her students will ask how old I am. Naturally, their next request is to know how old she is. And finally, how old she was when I was born. In her typical fashion, she tells her kids to do the math themselves since they are more than capable of doing the subtraction. She’s almost always met with wide eyes and open mouths demanding that it’s not possible and that there’s no way she was that age. But it’s possible, and it’s true. She was a teen mom, which explains why she and I are so close in age.
Countless people told my mom--strangers, even--that she was making a huge mistake and would never be happy with her decision. But I know there’s not a day in her life where she’s regretted anything. Us being so close in age has let us become closer than most people, and she understands me better than I would’ve ever thought possible. My mom is like a superhero to me. How she managed to raise a child, go to college, get a degree, get a job, all at the same time, amazes me. I don’t think I could’ve done it.
She’s the strongest person I know.
So when people say that she would regret her decision, I would like to laugh in their face. The bond that she and I have is greater than anything life has hit us with. She and I both have succeeded in life. She graduated from college with not one, but two degrees, and has gone on to get her master’s degree and National Board certification. I’m currently going to my number one choice school pursuing my passions. We have a nice, loving home that is always full of laughter between my dad’s and my jokes.
We’re happy.
I have a mom who will, unknowing to me, steal my clothes in the middle of the day. I have a mom who will be the most sarcastic person alive...only to make my sarcasm stronger, of course. I have a mom who will support me through everything and anything because we’re so close. I know I can go to her whenever I need to and she’ll give me the advice I need to hear.
While our family path might not have been traditional in comparison with everyone else, I love it. It’s what makes our family so close, and so special to me.