I Got It from My Momma

As cliche as it is, I’ll be the first to admit my mom is my best friend. I love to call my mom and chat with her about life, and she’s the first person I want to talk to whenever anything new happens in my life. She’s the person I can depend on to know when I need some comfort talk or when I need to hear the blunt, honest to goodness truth.

Like most mother/daughter relationships, we weren’t always as close as we are now. I can remember some pretty heated arguments between my mom and I, and I can recall times of finding any reason whatsoever to get out of my house just so I didn’t have to be around her. But through all those angry, heated times, I can never remember a time that I wanted to yell the cliche “I hate you!” because I never did. At the end of the day, I knew that my mom knew best and she really was just looking out for me, but that didn't change the fact that I wanted her to be wrong.

In my high school growing up, the seniors got out of school a couple of weeks earlier than the rest of the students. We graduated late May/early June, so there was no need to go to school after that. I spent a lot of time with my mom during these weeks my senior year, because both of my sisters were still in school. My mom and I would spend a lot of days together, just running errands, having heart to heart conversations in the middle of the grocery store. We got very close during this time. Of course, this had to be right before I was leaving for college. I was only going to school 2 hours away, but it was still 2 hours away from my mom - the woman who, up until the day I moved out, was still packing lunches for me.

In all honesty, I think me moving to college made us even closer. I would call my mom often just to update her on my life, and she would call to update me on the family. Walking to class was my favorite time to catch up, and mom started figuring out my class schedule. I would tell her everything in order to get the very best advice, and this was around the time that I learned my mom really did only want what was best for me, she wasn't just nagging me to nag my entire life. She was ALWAYS in my corner, and no matter what decisions I was making that maybe she didn't agree with, she started letting me make them on my own and realize I made a mistake on my own. She started letting me grow up. I learned how hard growing up was, and having her by my side to offer advice every step of the way sure did make things so much easier.

I think the reason my mom and I are so close is because we’re spitting images of each other, including personality wise. We both have been known to be a bit sassy (but ask my family, and that might be a little bit of an understatement). We both value family so much, and we care so deeply for the people in our lives, so much so that we both have a habit to do whatever it takes to make other people happy, sometimes forgetting about our own happiness. At the end of the day, though, I look at my mom, and I’m so thankful for the role model I had growing up, and I can think of a million worse people to be like.

Today I’m living in Orlando, and my family is still in Connecticut. I haven’t been home since the end of January, and I really miss my family. My mom and I still have our heart to heart talks over the phone, and I call her as often as I can, just to make sure we stay updated on each other’s lives. She’s letting me make my own decisions, even if she might not agree with them, and if it turns out to be a mistake, she’s always there to help me fix it. I’ve decided to relocate to Florida permanently after I finish my degree. It’s going to be hard being so far away from home, I am already feeling that homesickness just during my college program, but I know my mom and I will continue to stay close. That’s one person I know will ALWAYS be in my corner.