Just like any other kid, when I was growing up, I LOVED my birthday. I loved receiving gifts and seeing people show their appreciation for me, it made me feel extra special as I'm sure it did most of you as kids. As I got older, mid-teen years, I noticed friends of my mom text her to not only wish me a happy birthday but to give her props for being such a great mother for (*insert how old I was*) years.

I began thinking about birthdays and wondered why deserving mothers and fathers weren't also celebrated on their child's birthday. Especially mothers, I mean, they literally birthed the child. That's way more work than being born. My mom carried me for nine months and popped me out of the womb, but doesn't get much credit on the day she did so.

When I turned 17 and was first able to drive on my own, I brought home flowers for my mom. I left them on the kitchen counter with a note expressing my appreciation for everything she had done for me in those 17 years of my life. I wouldn't be here today without her, both literally and figuratively. She was always there for me when I fell down and scraped my knee, cheered me on at every game, and consoled me through breakups and losing friends.

Despite all of the circumstances I have been faced with, I've always considered myself to be ever so blessed to have one utterly, amazing parent, who would stop at nothing to give my siblings and me everything she could, even all on her own. I took her to grab breakfast that morning, and she was speechless that I had made a part of my birthday about her. My mom isn't a very emotional person, but to see how happy she was that whole day made the gestures even more worth it to me.

Now, every year on my birthday, I bring my mom flowers and write her a card. She helped shape me into the strong and independent woman I am today. I choose to think of my birthday as our birthday. Sure, there's Mother's Day to celebrate how great she is, but to dedicate some of my birthdays to her felt more genuine and personal. As the oldest, I feel even more inclined to celebrate her, because my birthday marks the day my mom's life changed and she became a mother.

Having an absent father allows me to see the kind of mother I could've ended up with if I weren't so lucky. But I was lucky enough to be able to call the most amazing woman I've ever met, my mom. Many of my friends have followed in my footsteps in expressing their gratitude for their mothers on their own birthdays, and I feel that those lucky enough to have an amazing mother should celebrate her on their birthdays, too.