When I was younger, I knew that my family’s structure was unlike most others’. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. By the time I was in the third grade, other kids would frequently ask, “Do you have a dad?” As a child from a single mother household, this was the dreaded question that had no right answer. I knew that I technically had to have a dad, but in my heart I knew that I didn’t really have one. What I had was a man who called himself my dad, but walked in and out of my life whenever it was convenient. He was never at any of my softball games to watch me chase after missed balls in the outfield. He was never the one sitting opposite from me at Friendly’s when I made the honor roll in elementary school. He never demonstrated how to hold a hot glue gun when I had a diorama due for class.

But none of that ever mattered. I had a mother who did all of that and more with enough love that I hardly ever realized something was missing.

Growing up with a single mother is almost always assumed to be a bad thing, but that’s not the case for many children who were raised by strong, independent females. I guess it's one of those things where you have to live it to know it. From my mother, I learned what it means to be truly selfless. Everything she had, every dollar she ever earned and all of the nurturing in her being was given to my two brothers and I. She taught me to always consider others before myself. Looking back at all of the sacrifices she had to make for me, I am truly amazed at how she did it all while never exhibiting any signs of weakness. My mother set the standard for how to love a child. Someday when I have children of my own, I will forever be conscious to model myself after the angel of a woman who my mother was for me. What scares me is that I won't be able to, considering my mom was so darn good at her job.

I'm not going to lie by saying it isn't sad that some children grow up without forming a strong relationship with their fathers. However, instead of dwelling on it, we need to make the most out of what we have. There are invaluable lessons to be learned from having an absent parent. Number one, the most obvious, is to never leave your child no matter what the circumstances. Number two is that single mothers, and women as a whole, deserve endless respect. These women work tirelessly to make a living on their own, which is hard to do when you have children to drive to practices, appointments and play dates. It is also these women that are pushing their children to take on everything. They encourage them to sign up for sports teams and extracurricular activities even though they’re too busy to drive them back and forth. They know they’ll find a way if it makes their child happy, regardless of how impossible it may seem. When their children share their dreams and ambitions, they offer words of inspiration and empowerment, regardless of how lofty those dreams may be. These women make things possible. They inspire and nurture children into driven young adults who aim to make them proud. Number three is that a mother’s love is strong enough to make up for a father’s shortcomings. A love that strong is all you need.

So thank you, Mom. Thanks for cheering my name when you came to my track meet to watch me on hurdles, and not stopping like everyone else when I fell over the last one. Thanks for rushing out of work to give me countless rides to practices and meetings. Thank you for leaving work in the middle of the day to pick me up from school when “Schindler’s List” made me cry, and taking me to the diner afterwards so I could sniff and whimper in silence over pancakes and bacon. Thank you for not laughing at me that day when my feelings were fragile, but pointing out how ridiculous it was the next day so we could both laugh about it. Thank you for always pushing me to succeed. Thank you for reminding me of my lifelong goals when I lose sight of them. Thank you for brushing my hair and laying my outfits out as a child. Thank you for not getting mad at me when I don’t call you every night in college, and thanks even more for always being there on the other end when I finally do get around to calling. Thank you for all of the little things that have been compiled to show me a life of love. Thank you, Mom, and all of the other single moms out there, for everything.