Most of society still slams teenage mothers, but I'm here to tell you that growing up with a teen mom is actually the best thing ever. (Yes, mom, this one goes out to you.)

1. She can keep up with you

I shouldn't have to state the obvious by saying that kids are energetic, crazy balls of fun, but imagine how much more fun that could be with a mom who is young, too. She is still able to run around the backyard chasing you, she can still play kickball at your elementary school with you and other cool, fit parents, she would never say no to riding bikes with you, or going on walks with you. A teen mom has Godly amounts of energy to dispose of by playing with her child. And there is nothing she would rather do.

2. She dresses you to impress

Let's face it, if your mom had you in her teenage years she really isn't that much older than you, so she knows that you don't want to look back at baby pictures and be embarrassed by what she dressed you in. She knows what is cute, and she knows what is "in". She is going to dress you in a way that makes all the other kids on the playground wish they had their own stylist at home, too. Sure, she will still probably put you in that crazy white and red strawberry themed dress for a photo shoot, and she will absolutely make you take a professional photograph with a backdrop of barney, but let's not lie, that's totally what you were into when you were four and growing up in the 90's.

3. She will let you stay up late

I remember many nights staying up late to watch movies with mom, and often times my grandmother, too. By movies I don't even mean the baby movies, I mean movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and IT. Most of my friends parents weren't letting them watch this stuff, and certainly not so late at night, but my mom wanted to embrace that time with me. She worked hard to support the two of us, so nights like these are ones I look back on and cherish. Sure, I got scared, but chances were that I was just going to fall asleep with her anyway, and there was nothing worth being scared of with my mom sleeping next to me. She was (is) my superhero.

4. She understands you, and if she doesn't, she tries too

Of course, any mom would try to understand their child, but a teen mom relates on a different level. High school was a nightmare, much like it is for any other teenage girl. You're learning about who you are, who you want to be, what boys you like and what girls you want to be friends with. Any mom can relate to this, she went through it too, but a teen mom is still going through this. She is still young, she is still trying to figure herself out. She can offer you more than a, "when I was your age" story. She can offer you advice based on her past, but also based on what she might be going through at that time, and even better than that; she will ask for your advice, too.

5. You grow up together

I'm currently 24 and my mom is 40. I know, you're thinking, "there's no gap in age!". Well, I'll be the first one to tell you that I am happy about that. Growing up, not only did I get the worlds coolest, most laid back, insightful mom, I also got a best friend. Someone I could rely on when I was too young to rely on myself, someone I could snuggle with when I was feeling down, someone who would give me my space when I needed it; knowing I would find them to talk when I was ready. In return, I gave her a best friend, a relationship that would never cease, a shoulder to cry on when I was old enough to understand what it was that she was crying about, a hand to hold through the hard times, and a laugh to share when things were good.

My mom and I grew up together, we continue to grow up together, and there is no other way I would have wanted it to be. I love my teen mom, and your opinion about that doesn't matter.