Since today is  Mother’s Day, I decided to take some time out to tell you about my mommy.

Can we get into the fact that this is what 56 looks like?

My mother is beautiful inside and out. She’s also easily one of the smartest people that I know.

She was a first-time mother at age 16 and had her second child (me) at 18. Having 2 small children at such a young age led her to sacrifice certain things, such as her college education. She raised my sisters and me with help from her parents. Together, they made sure that we had everything we needed and some of what we wanted. She’s preparing to go back to school to earn her degree and I could not be more proud of her.

My mother is one of my best friends.  I know that many of us were raised under parents reminding you that they are “not your little friends’. While there is a definite distinction that can be drawn between a parent-child relationship and a relationship between friends, I believe it is beneficial to have some elements of friendship with your children.

Young children depend on their parents to meet their basic needs. As children become young adults, their needs change. As a teenager, you start to have certain experiences and its useful to have someone in your corner who has been through some of the same experiences and can provide you with guidance. A parent should want to be “a friend” to their child to the extent that it will facilitate the child being comfortable communicating without the fear of judgment. This also helps strengthen the bond between parent and child so that they can remain close when the children become adults.

This describes the foundation of the friendship that my sisters and I have with our mother. She is our mother and we are her daughters, but we are also 4 grown women.  It has been a blessing to grow with her and to form this unbreakable bond. We know that no matter what we are going through, she will always be here for us to offer her perspective or just listen to us.

Mommy, thank you for being you.

Happy Mother’s Day.