Growing up in the suburbs, it's not totally unusual to see a stay at home mom gracing the aisles of Target armed with her husband's credit card and a skinny vanilla latte. However, as the product of two working parents, the real housewives of Cypress seemed to live in their own little world. Neither one of my parents went to college, but they did the best they could with what they were given. In elementary school, I grew to resent my mom's work ethic simply because of the fact that she was never there. Everyone and their mother (literally) could be seen with Chick-fil-A bonding over an order of waffle fries at lunch. I didn't understand why my mom was nowhere to be found. When you're young and dumb, everything is black and white. As an adult the simplicity of childhood fades to gray and life become more and more complicated. Kids see things as being short term whereas grown-ups are forced to think about the long term effects of the choices they make on a daily basis. All I knew was my mom didn't have time to attend PTA meetings or pick me up after school. To this day, my parents tease me about how much I used to whine and complain about how I wanted to be a "car-rider."

Looking back, words don't even begin to describe how thankful I am that my mom sacrificed so much when I was younger. If it wasn't for her determination, there's a good chance I would be knee deep in debt after graduation. I truly did feel like I was missing out in elementary school, but what I didn't realize was that while she was working 40+ hours/ week, she was also showering me with everything I could ever ask for. Time after time, my mom selflessly scrimped and saved to insure I never went without. Nowadays, girls go to college to get their MRS degree. However, I have no intention of depending on someone else for financial support. Of course I want children of my own someday, but that doesn't mean I have to pick and choose between career and family. Thank you mom for showing me what it's like to be an independent woman.