This one's for the moms.

Ever since I left for college, I've been missing my mom like crazy. I'm super close with my mom; she's my best friend, my biggest fan, and, of course, the person I always immediately turn to when I need advice. But now that I'm here, I only get to talk to her maybe three times a day in the form of brief phone calls and Facetimes, and though I love it here, I can't wait till Thanksgiving gets here so I can hug her again!

Then I thought to myself: if I'm feeling this way, how must my mom be feeling?

Ever since I got to college, I've been hearing the same old thing from many of my fellow classmates. I'm so glad to be away! HELLO, independence! Do I HAVE to go home during the breaks? Oh, and the favorite among freshman: I haven't talked to my mom in DAYS!

Days?

So it's been days that your mom has been worried sick about you. It's been days since she's last heard your voice, has last known that her baby is safe. It's been days and yet she can't sleep while you're sleeping soundly in your flimsy dorm bed, because she's worried you're somewhere unsafe, somewhere where she can't get to you if you need her. And you are; you're in college, after all.

Look, I get it: not everybody has that relationship with their mom. I understand. But this isn't article isn't about that--this article's for the moms who's held their heart close as they let their babies leave them as they delve far, far away into the real world. It doesn't have to be just college; this article's for the moms who watch as their children get married and leave them, for the moms who watch their children move into a new job, a new house, a new life.

For the moms whose children are just too ungrateful to realize what a blessing they really are.

For the moms: thank you.

Thank you, mom, for caring. Thank you for being there. Thank you for staying up with me when I cried about the fevers, the headaches, the bullies. Thank you for making sure I didn't ruin my life by making those reckless, youthful choices my fourteen-year-old self craved. Thank you for all the yummy meals you made for us even when we were too happy to eat. Thank you for realizing how great we all were far before we ourselves did; thank you for allowing us to become the people we are today.

Thank you for putting my happiness before your own.

I was younger then, it's true. I've been caught up in this whirlwind that is my own life, but you've always been the foundation that's kept me steady. You may think I was never paying attention, but I've always had my eyes open; I've always noticed. And so, I thank you here today. I love you so, so much.

This one's for the moms.