My mom is one of the most amazing people I know. She’s outgoing, caring, compassionate, and thoughtful. She always puts others before herself and doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. She’s taught me so much throughout my life and shaped me into the strong, independent woman I am today. A mother and a daughter’s relationship can be something so special. It’s like having a built-in best friend, especially if you don’t have a sister. That’s how it is for me at least — I only have a brother, so my mom sometimes feels like my sister. It hasn’t always been that way, though. As good of a relationship as we have now, it wasn’t always smooth sailing.
Anyone who knows my mom knows how friendly she is. She makes friends so easily and will start conversations with anyone. My family and I always joke that she could meet a stranger in line for food and know their life story within 10 minutes. As much as I admire this about her now, it used to really embarrass me. I was much shyer growing up because of how overly friendly my mom was. Her outgoingness made me feel more reserved, especially during middle school. Whenever I’d have friends over, she would talk to them for what felt like forever and I saw it as over the top. I was always scared that my friends would find her weird or even annoying when in reality she was just being welcoming.
Without realizing it, I started to resent my mom because of this. It made me not want to invite friends over or introduce them to my family. It made me shy and insecure, and a wall was built between us. I hardly ever wanted to spend time with her because I started to find her annoying due to my internal struggles. This made her really sad and the distance between us only grew.
A moment that sticks out to me the most was when she got home from the grocery store one night. She told me that while shopping, she saw a mom and daughter who were laughing together and seemed really close. She hugged me while crying in my arms and asked, “Why aren’t we that close? What am I doing wrong?” My heart shattered and I realized it wasn’t her, it was me. I was the one who created distance between us because of my own insecurities. I avoided her and didn’t allow us to have a thriving relationship.
That night changed my whole perspective. I started spending more time with her, talking to her about my everyday life, and listening to what she had to say. By the end of high school, we had an amazing relationship and we’ve only gotten closer with time. I’ve learned how to not be embarrassed by her outgoingness and instead embrace her positivity. As a result, I’ve become much more confident and outgoing myself. Now, at age 21, I feel like my mom is my rock and I love her so much. I’ve learned how to appreciate everything about her, not only as a mother but as a best friend too.
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