For the past 20 years of my life, I have seen my mother accomplish things that I never thought were possible. She has endured the test of time all throughout her life, and yet she still holds a smile upon her face. “You’ll never see me cry” is what she’ll always tell me. No matter the pain, no matter the struggle, no matter the battle. As I became older, I was introduced to the lifestyle of a single parent, and how they go through a lifelong journey of raising their children on their own.
I never quite seem to comprehend how my mother was able to take care of both my brother and I on her own. Of course, she had help from other family members, but she sacrificed the most. Throughout my life, I have seen my mom go through stressful situations that I never thought she would have survived. I admire my mother, because she can conquer the impossible. She’s been doing that for the past 21 years flawlessly, and for that I am forever grateful for her.
My mom and I don’t always get along, but what mother and daughter doesn’t have a disagreement every once in a while? The life lessons that my mother instilled in me never became a reality until I experienced it for myself. Now I know that after all this time, she has only been looking after me. I feel that my mother and I also run into conflict because we are so much alike. I am the splitting image of her, personality wise and all. Constantly, I tend to look back through my life and wonder what kind of person I would be if I had not listened to my mother.
Some people have lost their mother, or some were abandoned before they could even get to know them. I get to have the opportunity of enjoying the presence of my mother. I do not always take that opportunity for granted. One day my mom, my brother, and I went to the store to get some clothes for us. Us being kids, we hurried off into the toy section making a lot of noise and causing a disruption. My mom came over, and yelled at us for making a mess and not being where we could see her. For the rest of the time in the store, we had to keep our hands glued on the shopping cart. My brother and I were so furious to the point where we wanted to run away. Once we got in the car, I sat down and thought about how ungrateful we were being. I instantly regretted my behavior and began to softly cry in the back seat. I knew that we were wrong, and that our actions were unacceptable. Our mother taught us better than that and she deserved better than we were behaving.
Growing up it wasn’t easy watching my mother go through the battles of being a single parent. I’m sure any child that has witnessed these battles wishes that they could help out in any way they could. The way that I helped was through my education. Having an education is very important in my family. My mother made sure that my brother and I stayed focused on getting good grades, and being active in the many clubs our schools had to offer. Even with us in school she didn’t let that stop her from continuing her education and expanding her career. Till this day she is still bettering her education while supporting my brother and I’s future endeavors.
Being raised by a single mother has taught me to appreciate and value single parents. For anyone who has survived or is currently surviving this journey, I commend you. Being a single parent is a job in its own way, and it’s not fair to those who don’t have the support to make it through. Lastly, I would like to say thank you to my mother. Thank you for always going out of your way to make sure that my brother and I have the best life possible. We love you and we deeply appreciate you for your life long commitment in our lives.