“Your son is a son ‘til he gets his wife, but daughter is a daughter for life”.

I believe this quote with every single fiber in my body.

I have recently moved away and only go home on occasion. Well, I have recently stopped due to school starting and I am dumbfounded at how hard it is for me to not see my mom.

Weird, and maybe even pathetic, but it’s true.

I was raised by a single mother who worked during the day to support my brother and I.

When I was about six years old she married a man that was the epitome of a father. This is not to say it was smooth sailing, because it wasn’t always, but it was my new family.

Through years and years of acne, boyfriend troubles and mood-swings galore, she kept by my side.

I always told my parents that as soon as I could, I would be gone and on to better things.

I had support from my brothers who encouraged me and gave me hope of a new life that I would fall in love with where I would grow up and be an independent woman.

Well, just because I have grown- up and become more independent does not mean I can’t call my mom, or even miss her for that matter.

My mom knows me like the back of my hand-- she knows when I’m upset, elated or when I’m trying to pull a fast one.

She also gives me encouragement when I’m at my breaking point.

My mom listens to my boy-talk and will even be my wing-woman and write down my phone number when we go on our dinner dates.

When I was younger I always thought, “I will never turn into my mom”, and now that I’m older, I have realized not only that I, coincidently, am turning into my mom, and I love it.

I realize that she was never overprotective, like my hormonal-teenage mind thought, but just concerned.

I wasn’t allowed to date until about the age 13 and I now understand why.

Why would I want to date a boy that couldn’t even take me on dates? Dating should be when two people meet together and do something special, as classic as going to the movies, to going on a romantic getaway to the ski-slopes. Dating should not be getting dropped off at the local mall to walk around with another boy until our parents pick us up.

I wasn’t allowed to be on my phone past a certain hour.

Good, I’m sure my body needed sleep, because it definitely does now. And who knows, maybe all that sleep that I got because I went to bed at 9:30 or 10 has given me a couple extra years.

I wasn’t allowed to get a job.

Crazy right? Most parents encourage their kids to start working and learning what it means to make a hard-earned dollar. My mom discouraged it so that I could act my age and be a teenager as long as I could. If I wanted to join a club or a team, I was available to. Eventually, I got a job with dual-enrollment which lead to an amazing opportunity, but that also took away from me being a full-time college student.

So thank you, Mom, for sparing me as long as you could, because now all I do is work. I work late nights, early mornings, two jobs, or one job with long hours, all while being a full-time student.

Thank you for being concerned about my sleeping patterns.

Thank you for advising me not to waste my time on dating, although I didn’t listen at the time, I understand now.

Thank you for surprising me with black socks that are required for my work uniform, or with Swedish Fish just because.

There’s a thousand more things I could thank you for, and will thank you for. Because I know one day I’ll need to borrow your car for a week, or maybe a couple hundred dollars, or I’ll need you to behave in front of my new in-laws that you don’t like and you’ll do it all in a heartbeat.

Whatever it may be, thank you Mom-- you are the real MVP.