The mother-daughter bond is one of the most important relationships in a girl's life. If that wasn't a fact, it wouldn't be the plotline in so many shows and books. Being able to see yourself in the reflection of someone — of your mom — is beautiful. I realized early in life that becoming a mother is something I want to experience one day because of that reality.

I'd love to see myself in my future daughter, but for right now, I'm glad that I see traits of my mother in me.

My mom has always been my superhero.

It never mattered how big or small something I was going through might be, she has always been there for me. But I haven't always appreciated that fact. For a long time, I felt like I couldn't talk to my mom about really tough things. Our bond has always been strong, but in the past, I would only vent to her about things like school. I was scared to have really serious conversations with her, out of fear that she would judge me or love me differently.

That crippling fear made a lot of my middle and high school years lonely. I would talk to my friends about how I felt about boys and my emotions, but I found myself only scratching the surface of those topics with my mom. Looking back, I needed her so much and in so many different situations. She could definitely sense it because she would ask me often about what I was going through. But instead of opening up about my feelings, I would give her a bland answer and change the subject.

I don't know why I willingly created such a hard barrier in our relationship. But as a 21, soon-to-be 22-year-old, I've never needed my mom more than I do right now. Going away to college brought me closer to her. A combination of homesickness and being three hours away from my parents made my first few years in Kentucky extremely hard. I've leaned on my parents so much throughout my college experience, but especially my mom. I couldn't imagine what life in college without my mom would be like. There have been countless times that she has sacrificed everything to come to Lexington and help me through something or pick up the phone in the middle of the night just because I needed someone to talk to.

My mom is the sole reason (besides God) that I am still able to call myself a student at the University of Kentucky. She is my ride or die, my rock, and I truly believe that no one in this world loves me more than she does. She has given me her all and then some, over and over again. I don't think I can ever find a way to repay her for all of the emotional support, love, and kindness she has shown me throughout my entire life but especially leading into my adulthood. God works in mysterious ways, and I believe that the things I've been through in college happened so our relationship could strengthen.

Moving forward, I refuse to waste any time I have with my mother.

Being able to pick up the phone and call her whenever I need her is a blessing. I am so grateful for all she has done for me. If I can be half the woman that she is to my own children one day, I'll be content with life. So please call your mom, talk to her as often as you can. Don't allow fear to stop you from having tough conversations with your mom, because life is too short to not get to know her.