As I'm wrapping up my first year of college, I'm looking back and thinking about all of the people who have guided me these past months. College was definitely not easy for me to navigate but I was lucky to get a really great group of friends who helped me start to figure everything out over these past two semesters. The people who really come to mind are the "mom friends". We all have them. They're the ones who take care of you and make sure you get out of the school year alive. To the mom friends, thank you.

Thank you for making sure I stay on top of my classes.

College seems to be full of people who procrastinate up until the very last moment and I am definitely no exception to that. Mom friends, thank you for making sure I get my work done. All of the research papers and reading seems to pile up so easily, but you're always there when I need some motivation or if I can't come up with a paper topic idea for the life of me. Thank you for always providing me with motivation, when I seem to have none.

Thank you for guiding me through all my first year questions.

I hate asking questions and admitting I need help. If I'm being honest, it's one of my worst qualities. After getting to college, there were dozens of things I had questions about, and if it weren't for you guys, I don't know how I would have figured it all out. Thank you for being my go to people when I had no idea what I was doing. I can't explain how much I appreciate you teaching me how to make my schedule (sometimes even doing it for me), answering questions about professors or classes, and explaining how the hell I manage to get everything done in four years.

Thank you for making sure I always have a place to go.

Sometimes, in college, there's going to be times where you can't make it back to your room or you just don't wanna be there at all. Thank you, for always making sure I know that I have a place to stay. Knowing that the couch in your house is always open to me if I ever need a place to go provides me with more comfort than you know.

Thank you for taking care of me.

I am pretty bad at being an adult sometimes. I can't really make myself dinner and I never have medicine on me if I feel sick. Thank you for always having Motrin when my head is aching, and even helping me make sure I don't get an infection when I fall in glass. Thank you for making me mac and cheese, or buying me chicken wings. I hope you know how reassuring it is to have someone always looking out for you and making sure that you get what you need.

Thank you for always being there.

This is the most important one of them all. Being away from my actual mom has been difficult, especially when I'm having a meltdown and she's a lot more than a few rooms away. Sometimes when it feels like the world is caving in around me, I just need someone to listen to me ramble and cry without question. All I have to do is approach you and say "I'm going to cry, I need you" and I'm being pulled away and comforted before I get the chance to blink. I know my self-centered ramblings and rants don't always make sense, but you never question me and make me feel like my feelings are invalid. I'm always met with nothing but listening and then words of comfort. Your advice and support is all I need sometimes. Thank you for always making sure I'm okay, whether it's by letting me sit and cry on your beanbag or showing me videos of dogs until I forget why I was upset.

You were some of the first to say you were proud of me when my first article was published, so this is for you. I don't know how I could have gotten through this year away from home without you, so I promise to always be here for you like you were for me. I may not always have Motrin or know how to stay organized, but I can provide hugs and pictures of dogs.

To the mom friends, thank you for everything. Your fake children love you.