Growing up was difficult, made only more challenging by growing up in essentially a one-parent household, with siblings who I never quite felt a part of. I was an awkward teen, with glasses, weird quirks, and an unfortunate amount of social awkwardness. The one person I could count on was my mom. She was my best friend, the person I told everything to, the one person who I knew would always be there, and she still is.

1. She’s literally me in 20 years.

People have always told me, “You look just like your mom.” Or when I answered her phone, I’d have to wait 10 minutes to finally tell the person on the other end that my mom was busy, but I’d give her the message.

2. She’s the funniest person I know.

Some people complain about how their moms are always serious and how they never take a joke. My mom is not that mom. She consistently makes fun of me, uses Snapchat filters to make me look like a dog, and tells me my friends like her more than they like me (which is sadly true).

3. She’s incredibly sassy.

My school had Mismatch Day every year for Spirit Week and every time I came out in multicolored leggings and mismatched socks, my mom always reminded me that this is why I wasn’t allowed to dress myself.

4. She’s always there.

Whether I was crying because I got a bad grade, or because my best friend and I got into a fight, she was always the first one I went to. Her shoulder was always there for me to cry on.

5. We were always her number one priority.

Her kids, myself included, were her main concern. Everything she did was for us, to give us a better life, a better chance at success. And while I missed her when she was in school, and I didn’t quite understand it then, I do now, and I’m forever thankful.

6. She has the best advice.

Whether it’s about boys (unimportant), or my future career (very important), she always puts things into matters I can’t argue with, which is saying something considering I’m a teenage girl who could get a degree in arguing if I tried hard enough.

7. She never judges me, or my decisions.

I think it must be a mom trait, but even after I tell her some of the stupid things I’ve done, she still doesn’t judge or tell me I’m the awful person I feel like I am.

8. She has life experience.

Definite plus to having an old person as your BFF, no offense, mom. She’s experienced things and been through life events that I haven’t. She has hindsight, which I’m constantly reminded is 20/20. I can learn from her mistakes.

9. She’s family.

I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to explain crazy family traditions, or introduce people to my insanely large, terribly confusing, and slightly insane family and failed. I don’t have to do that because if any one knows how weird my family is, it’s the one who’s been in it longer than me.

10. She has this crazy, unconditional love for me.

No one wants you to succeed more than your mom. She’s always looking out for you. She wants the absolute best for you, no matter what it does for her.