As I grow older, I learn to appreciate people that are important to me.
My mother is without question the most important woman in my life. She taught me everything I know. This article is for you mommy, because you are the REAL MVP.
1. My mother taught me logic.
When I was younger my mother and I got into a lot of arguments. Often times, it was because we both were stubborn and neither one of us wanted to admit the other person was right. We didn’t talk for days and my father and brother had bets of who would start talking to whom first. Safe to say, I lost almost every time. There was no way I couldn’t speak to my mother for more than two days simply because I had to ask her for rides and lunch money. I was stubborn, but I was way too lazy to walk and too spoiled to starve. My mother knew that. Whenever I apologized to her, she would look at me, raise her left eyebrow and shake her head. She wouldn’t just accept my apology and move on. No, she would have me clean the dishes first, bring out the trash after and help her cook food later that day. Whenever I asked her why I had to do all of that stuff, she would look at me and say, “Because I said so, that’s why.”
2. My mother taught me the circle of life.
As a teenager, I wasn’t really appreciative of all of the things my mother was doing for me. I simply took them for granted because I was so used to them until my mother one day just stopped. She stopped cooking me food, stopped doing my laundry and stopped cleaning my room. It felt like my world was upside down. I literally had no idea how to survive. Doing laundry and cooking were the main issues. I watched my mother do it millions of times, but for some reason, I couldn’t remember any of the steps. For the next few days, all I ate was sandwiches. The laundry part was harder. I started sneaking stuff into my granny’s house, but eventually she would figure it out and tell my mother. I got tired of sandwiches pretty quickly, and I was slowly running out of clean clothes to wear, so I decided to talk to my mother. I told her I was sorry, that I never truly appreciated all of the work she was doing for me and that from now on, I would help her. With a satisfied look on her face, she said, “Never forget, I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”
3. My mother taught me religion.
I don’t think my mother hated anything more than messy rooms and disorder. She cleaned daily and literally got offended when people didn’t notice it. Our house was always clean. No matter how busy my mother was, she would make the time to tidy up. I wasn’t allowed to leave my clothes anywhere in the house, and once a week, she would come to check my room. It used to be every day but I told her I would move out if she kept doing that. Unluckily for my mom, I was a pretty clumsy child. I spilled drinks and dropped food. I don’t know how often I heard my mother say, “You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
4. My mother taught me how to become an adult.
My mother tried everything to make me eat my vegetables. She would tell me that for every piece of broccoli I ate, I would get a piece of chocolate. It worked well for a while, until I figured out where she was hiding the chocolate. After that, it went downhill. No vegetables and no fruits for me. It almost seemed like my mother gave up, but I should have known better. I should have known she worked on a master plan. One day at lunch, while I was trying to save the potatoes from the vegetables, she looked at me and said, “If you don’t eat your vegetables, you will never grow up.” Since that day, I always had two portions of vegetables. I couldn’t bare the idea of being a child forever.
5. My mother taught me about justice.
Just like my brother was annoying me, I was annoying my mother every single day. Sometimes I didn’t mean to, and some days that’s all I wanted to do. I was such a brat. Yet, no matter what I did, my mother never seemed to lose it. She always stayed calm, and I can’t remember a time she ever screamed at me. I made it my personal challenge, to get her to exactly this point. After several months of trying, I got tired of it. I couldn’t understand how my mother could handle it, without losing her temper. I decided to ask her. I don’t think I will ever forget what she said to me. “One day, you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Knowing that gives me peace.” After that day, I decided children weren’t an option for me anymore.
6. My mother taught me everything I need to know.
There are not enough words in this world to tell my mother how thankful I am for everything she taught me. She made me a better person, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her. My mother is my best friend and the person who pushes me without knowing it. Seeing a smile on her face is worth every struggle. We don’t tell the people we love enough how much we appreciate them. We take them for granted until one day it is too late to tell them all of the things you wanted to tell them but didn’t because you thought you had forever. My mother taught me everything I need to know. She stuck with me through the up and downs, and she did everything to make me happy. I am truly blessed to have a mother like her, and I will be forever thankful for that.
