I look up to my mom so much. She is strong, independent, and successful. My mom did not have the same upbringing as me or the majority of women I know. My mom got pregnant with my sister at 16. She was just beginning her junior year of high school. By the end of her junior year, she had my sister and graduated in December of her senior year. She valued family and friends and was determined to give her child everything she could.
At 16 years old, she had to tell some of the most important people in her life that she was pregnant. The father was a year older and was excited to start a new chapter. His parents also had kids young so they were also excited for them. My mom’s parents were not thrilled with the idea, and who can blame them since she was 16 years old. But ultimately, they wanted to support her either way.
After a year and a half my mom and my sister’s biological father split up. This changed a lot for her as she was now a single mom and the father was no longer in the picture. After that she ensured whoever she brought back into my sister’s life needed to be someone serious. My mom no longer had the luxury of dating around at such a pivotal age. She now had bigger responsibilities.
My mom’s parents supported where they could, financially and emotionally. However, her parents worked full time jobs. After the father had left, my mom stayed with her parents for a little bit. However, my mom tried her best not to rely on them too much, as this was something she knew she could handle and wanted to do.
My mom eventually met my dad, Dan. He was really the only guy she dated after everything. They met when she was 19 and he was 23 years old. Not too long after, they got married at 20 and 24 and had their second kid (me) at 21 and 25. He was not only someone she could now rely on, but he was someone that my sister could call dad and help her truly understand what a father figure should look like.
My mom now had two kids at 21 that she was not only supporting, but was ensuring that we had everything she didn’t. My mom and my dad worked hard to ensure that we were raised in good areas, had good school districts, and never had to worry about finances. Although they were young, they worked harder than anyone I have ever known.
My mom and dad being so young has such an opportunity for my family. My parents knew of the things that were going on and worked hard to understand us and what we were going through no matter what. When it came to rules, my parents were always compromising and understanding. They worked hard to build honest relationships with their kids to ensure that no matter what, my sister and I could come and talk to them. My parents were always people I could tell anything and everything to and they wanted that for our family dynamic.
Now, my mom works a stable job in human resources for a security company. She has two kids, the oldest just graduated with a masters in business administration, and the youngest (me) is currently in college studying finance. She has been married to my dad for 20 years and counting. My mom just recently turned 40 years old, and is now an empty nester — she’s able to do things she couldn’t before.
My mom is one of my biggest role models. She is kind, caring, smart, and brave. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it was to go through what she has at such a young age, but I couldn’t be prouder to have her as a mom. She worked so undeniably hard to do everything she could to ensure that we had everything we needed no matter the circumstances. Now, I hope she gets to do everything she desires because she deserves it more than anything.