After 23 short years on this earth, I have learned many lessons the hard way. One is that no matter what I have said or done to my mom, she will never stop loving me. Why is this a lesson I wish I didn't have to learn the hard way? Because I am inexpressibly sad that I have ever said anything to hurt my mom's feelings. I am sorry, mom.

It is crazy to think that there was a time when my mom wasn't the one I turned to for advice about everything, literally everything. But as most college-aged women know, the relationship we have now wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, some days it still isn't. Once again, I am sorry, mom.

As a kid, my mom was my best friend. When my brothers were stealing my toys or breaking my arm, literally, my mom always took my side. Of course, we had our disagreements about what I could have for supper or what time I had to go to bed, but at the end of the day, she was the one I wanted to cuddle up and watch The Parent Trap with.

In middle school, the tension began to rise between us. I wanted to go to the skate park during all hours of the night to see a cute boy and my mom, thank you for this, didn't think that I was old enough to venture out and be unsupervised. I wanted to make my own decisions, my older brothers were, why couldn't I?

However, I was still innocent-minded enough to follow the rules and ultimately understand that my mom was only looking out for me.

High school was a whole different story. I became very strong-willed, as my mother is, and we bumped heads like two teenage sisters who just started their period. We didn't agree on much, whether it was what I could wear out of the house or if I could stay out past midnight, it was always a battle. One thing we did see eye-to-eye on was that we loved each other more than we could express. This is when I realized my mom was my hero. Although we couldn't always find the right words to say to each other, she never let me feel like I was a disappointment or that I wasn't good enough.

I strive to be this kind of mother; the one that cares beyond measure, beyond what is right and wrong, the kind of mom with the endless love that is forgiving and unconditional. Thank you, Mom, for never leaving me behind and still making my doctor appointments for me because I am not always ready to "adult."