In the past few months I've seen lots of articles entitled something along the lines of "My Mom's My Best Friend," and then opposing ones arguing that a good mom won't be your best friend, so I decided to add my own thoughts to the conversation. My mom isn't my best friend, but that's because she's better than a best friend. In my opinion, the title "mom" is a greater honor than the title "BFF."
In some senses, I can see how I could call my mom my best friend. I call her everyday; I tell her about everything that's going on in my life—the good, the bad and the ugly—and she's one of the first people I go to for advice. Some of my favorite things to do are a girls' day out with her or even just sitting on the couch and watching TV together.
However, there are so many things that make her better than any best friend could possibly be.
Her love is truly unconditional.
No matter how many stupid things I've done (and trust me, there have been a lot), she never loves me any less. When I'm upset, hearing her voice on the other end of the phone telling me she loves me is about the best thing I could hear.
She gives the best advice.
It's great to have friends to go to for advice, but it always seems like my mom knows just the right thing to do or to say. She's also always there to help me out when I have a laundry crisis or can't figure out what cold medicine I should be getting at the drugstore.
She's there for me no matter what.
Sure, my mom and I argue sometimes, but that's because she truly wants what's best for me. I know that at the end of the day she'll always be fighting for me -- not against me.
She makes sacrifices for me.
Whether it's the little things, like eating my food at a restaurant when I don't like it, or the bigger things, like all of the hours she's spent driving me from place to place and all of the times that she's arranged her schedule to fit with mine, she's always willing to make sacrifices for me.
She takes care of me.
Even though I've been living on my own at college for two years now, she still takes care of me. From doing two weeks worth of my laundry when I come home for the weekend, to taking the time to make me breakfast, to cleaning my room while I'm away at school.
She supports me.
She might push me a little harder than a best friend would, but I know that she will always be cheering me on from the sidelines and there to help me achieve my goals.
No best friend could ever replace the relationship that I have with my mom, and I certainly wouldn't be the person that I am today without her. So here's to you, Mom, thank you for being more than a best friend.