Let's be honest, every freshman gets nervous about packing up their life in the town they grew up in when leaving for college. You courageously leave your comfort zone in order to move to a completely unfamiliar school which will soon act as your new “home” for four years. However, I personally don't feel like my school is home, considering the fact that my mom, who is my best friend, isn't there with me. We no longer live under the same roof, which is a strange adjustment considering this is the way it had been for 18 years. My mom and I have always been close, but for those who aren't close to their mom, I can guarantee that after moving away for college, she'll quickly become your best friend.
You may not be in the room right next door to your mom, however, that does not mean she's not there for you. At any hour of the day, you could call her and it is almost guaranteed that she will answer, or in my mom's case, she will miss the call and call me back five seconds later. You most likely will call her nearly 10 times a day just to talk to her about your day. You'll give her the play-by-play of everything going wrong in your life, and any drama that may be happening around you. I know my mom has caught on to the fact that the number of times I call her in a 24-hour period reflects how bad day my day is going. There are so many phone calls that consist of ranting about certain people or professors that your mom will start to feel as if she knows the people you are talking about. She’s the first one you go to when its late at night and you're crying about the boy who broke your heart or the friend who backstabbed you. No matter what the situation is, your mom will somehow know exactly what to say to make you feel better.
As we all know, college food is absolutely disgusting. Unfortunately for us broke college students, we typically debate about whether or not we can afford Wendy's four for $4 meal. It's a good thing we have understanding mothers who realize how much us college kids miss real food. Whether they put money into your account occasionally so you can order takeout or make you homemade dishes to take back to college with you. Food from your mom has the power to automatically turn a bad day into a good day, it saves you from eating at the dining hall for at least one meal.
I don’t know if every mom does this or I’m just lucky enough to have an amazing mom, but the almost-monthly care packages she sends to my dorm are probably my favorite thing ever. Whether it's Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day or Easter, I receive a package in the mail from my mom every month. Checking your mailbox and seeing you've received mail is the greatest feeling because while you may not be at home, people are still thinking of you! Every package my mom sends includes decorations designated to a specific holiday, and for Christmas, I got my very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree for my dorm. But what my suitemates and my favorite part of the packages are her famous poems which she always writes. Everyone's mom has a little twist on how they treat us for getting through another hectic day of college.
She will always respond to your texts whether it's two in the afternoon or two in the morning. Even if you're about to drop out of school for the millionth time this semester due to the amount of stress, an encouraging text or phone call exchange with your mom can fix all of that. No matter the situation your mom knows exactly what to say, she was once in our position so she knows exactly what it's like to want to rip your hair out on the daily thanks to the millions of assignments due all on the same day. Your mom has and always will be your biggest supporter. She doesn't judge you on what decisions you make, she just reminds you that you must live with whatever decision you decide to choose. She loves you for you and will forever support your life choices, good or bad. You realize in college that there's always those people in life that act as if they are there for you, but then leave you when you need them the most, but your mom will never leave your side.
Your mom never gives up on working hard in order to benefit you and your siblings in the future. I'm sure there are days where she dreads going to work, but she pushes through knowing it will only benefit her kids in the end. When we were younger, we didn't truly appreciate everything our moms did for us. Now we see how much hard work it took to raise us. A mother's most prized possessions are her kids: we are their pride and joy in their life. None of us would be who we are today without our moms being by our side.
The older you get the more you realize just how much your mom is a role model to you. Every day you strive to be equally or even half-as-great of a person as your mom is. If someday I’m like my mom that will be my biggest accomplishment in life. If I grow up to be even close to as strong, generous and independent as my mom is then I know I succeeded in life.
Thank you to all the moms out there that keep us overwhelmed college students grounded and sane. Thank you to my mom who is the first to encourage me whenever I’m worried, the first to congratulate me when I succeed and the first to pick me up when I crash and burn to the floor due to the stresses of college life. You'll never know how much I appreciate you.
