Imagine you are five years old. It’s your first day of kindergarten. You walk in and there are no familiar faces. Sure, the teachers in the school are very welcoming and there are children playing all around, but you’re way out of your comfort zone because everything is new. Everything is different. Your mom drops you off and essentially, at just five years old, you’re in charge of how the rest of that day goes.
Transitioning from high school to college was like the first day of kindergarten for me. But the difference was, my mom wasn’t going to be there to pick me up when the day ended. I had eighteen years to learn how to live without my mom looking over my shoulder, and this was the true test.
Needless to say, I failed the first few times around. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it was absolutely terrifying and I probably called my mom more in those first few months than I did in my eighteen years of existence.
Looking back, it has made me realize, I need my mom more now than ever before.
When my clothes were falling apart in the wash, I called my mom to learn that throwing all the colors together, and turning the washer on cold wasn’t the best idea. When I had to make a doctor’s appointment at college, I called my mom first to ask what I should say (Because, “Hi, I’d like to make an appointment,” just seemed way too complicated at the time). When I got sick, forget it. I was doomed. I called my mom every other hour to make sure I wasn’t going to die right then and there from a cold. When it came to cooking, boiling pasta needed my mom’s advice first just to learn that salt makes the water boil faster. And when it came to just having a friend to cry to because I didn't know what to do, you were my friend.
I found myself needing my mom more and more. I found that I wasn’t embarrassed by “mom things,” like her kissing me goodbye in front of my friends or posting my achievements on Facebook. Instead, I cherished those moments and craved all her attention because I missed her so much at college.
As I got older, my mom became my best friend because I realized that we are the exact same person. Suddenly, she became a lot cooler. I started to see her perspective on the things I would’ve thought were absolutely and positively unfair in high school. I began to text her as much as I would my friends, and I started to realize my existence would be nothing if it wasn’t for her nurture, her love, and her kindness.
So, thank you, mommy. Thank you for teaching me how to love, how to be kind, and how to be humble and happy with the little things in life. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without your constant guidance and patience when I was an attention seeking child and an unpleasant teenager. I hope to be half the mom and wife that you are one day -- always putting my family first and giving my all to those I love. Sometimes, I feel as if you’ll never know how much you mean to me because you think it’s your job as a mom to be a superhero. But, you go above and beyond all forms of “superhero,” and for that -- I am eternally grateful. Please, always remember that no matter how old I get, I’ll always need you for the most important things in my life. I love you.
