This International Women’s Month, I’ve been thinking back on all the women that have influenced my life for the better. I have been fortunate enough to have the best relationship with my mom. She is obviously my favorite woman and she’s had the biggest influence on my personality, my beliefs, and my lifestyle.
My mother is a sixth-grade math teacher at Canandaigua Middle School. If you know anything about middle school kids or remember how you acted at that age, you can imagine what my mother deals with on a daily basis. Kids flip her off, call her a loser, sneeze on their tests, and cause distractions of every kind in her class all day every day. But my mother has never let a bad day at school come home with her. No matter what stressors she dealt with earlier at school, she is always interested in my day and how I’m doing. I don’t want to become a mother myself, but if I did, I would be equipped with the best roadmap on how to be a good mother. My mom always puts others before herself without a second thought. She is always aware of others needs and issues regardless of what she is going through at the moment. That’s something that inspires me about my mom; her incredible ability to control her emotions and unconditionally care for her family.
Probably the biggest way my mom has influenced is in my personality. My dad loves to say my mom and I are “two peas in a pod.” We both have the same attitudes. We have the same antisocial tendencies. We have the same irks and pet peeves too. I have loved learning how to deal with annoying people in my life. My mom has also taught me the importance of advocating for myself. I ask my mom for advice on literally everything. In general, she says I need to speak up for what I deserve and the things that I need to be successful. Her support and reassurance have helped me feel more confident when asking employers or professors for accommodations. Another reason I love asking my mom for advice is because she always offers a levelheaded perspective. Ultimately, she leaves the final decision up to me, but she does offer insight from both sides to help me make the best choice.
I am so grateful for all the influential women in my life who have helped me become a better person. My mom has been the biggest influence in my life, and I’ve been lucky to have such a great relationship with her. Looking back, she has always been an inspiration to me, even from a young age; I don’t thank her often enough for what she has done for me. Use International Women’s Month to thank all the women in your life for what they have done for you.