Dear Mom,

Thank you for being you. Thank you for loving me and never giving up on me. I know that I have not said it enough, truthfully. I understand that I have been more than a handful at times and even intolerable. Too many screaming matches and unneeded tears have been shed over the struggle of not being understood and feeling lost because I did not respect the lessons that you and dad were trying so desperately to instill in me. I know that I am hard headed and have said time and time again that I will never “treat” my children like this because it’s “hindering”.

I was wrong. So wrong. I have noticed more and more now that I have been on my own at college, that I sound more like you than I thought I ever would. I am the first to rationalize a situation, the first to take care of someone, and surely the first to advise someone from making a mistake that could be avoided. I sound more like you in the ways you use to advise me. I say the things that you have said to me for years, might I add that I absolutely hated and tried to ignore. Obviously, I failed to ignore you. I just want to let you know that I actually did listen to you and dad all those years. I just never did anything about it.

Sure I have heard about girls coming to their parents years later confessing how much they really learned from their mom. Never did I think that I would feel this way being outside the house for less than a month. Considering we push each other’s buttons and clash more often than we should, I really do respect you and value everything you have ever said and done for me. Mom, I love you and want to say that you have done a good job. I feel more than ready for the obstacles that life throw at me. With all the will and strength I built up fighting you all those years, you helped me become the strong and independent woman I am today.

Just think mom, you were like a personal trainer, but with my decision-making process. No one likes when the trainer puts more weight on the bar or speeds the treadmill up to make them run faster, but in the long run, it makes them stronger and that is what you did with me, Mom. You have made me a better and stronger person and I cannot thank you enough. I love you to the moon and back!