Mom, Thank You for Never Being my Best Friend

Mom, thank you for never being my best friend. You don’t know the tremendous favor you’ve done for me. Thanks to you, I am who I am today, and I don’t think you could have done much better. Forget the people who say they want to be friends with their children: they do not know the huge mistake they are making.

A mother should impose limits. You always looked for the best in me, although sometimes I did not agree. Sometimes I used to think it was to annoy me, but this was a big mistake: everything you did, you did out of love. You raised a strong daughter who knew how to fend for herself and who today is very proud of her mother. That’s why I thank you.

Thank you for being there in the bad times

I remember when I was little and I did not have many friends. I was very shy and the other kids made fun of me. You were the first to tell me not to listen to them, that they had no reason to laugh at me.

You told me that I was good and special, and that people who make others feel bad are not worth it. Thank you for all the nights you read me stories before bed. And you never forgot to tell me how much you loved me.

Your support was so great that one day I told you that you would be my best friend. But you said no, you could not be my best friend, but you could do much better: you could be my mother. I did not understand it at the time, but you were right.

Thank you for all the times you said NO, quarreled with me or punished me. Thank you, because by your strength I have learned to learn from my mistakes. Thanks to you, I know how much that expensive phone costs and all the hard work needed to get it.

Thank you for all those hours spent in hospitals. For all the operations, falls and scares I’ve put you through. Also, for helping me beat chickenpox and pharyngitis, and for spending a small fortune on cough drops.

For holding my hair while I vomited and for telling me everything would be okay. For all the vaccines you force me to get, because even though they hurt, they were for my own good.

Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on with my first disappointments in love. For teaching me to respect others and myself and to not be submissive or to conform to people who pretend to love me.

Thank you, because I often deserved a slap and you did not give it to me. You made me trust you and understand that there are things in the world that cannot be fixed.

Thanks for the good times

I appreciate the great moments. With you I not only share sorrows, but also joys. You have always been my greatest asset. You have taught me to get up and fight the blows of life, and then celebrate my triumphs as if they were yours.

You trusted me without a moment’s hesitation. You have never doubted my courage, even knowing that I’m human and make mistakes. You have encouraged me to be independent, to live and to relate. You have never lied to me, nor spared me constructive criticism. And you do not know how much I appreciate it.

You, Mom, have always been right. You raised me and educated me, and then you let me go. You did it with tears in your eyes knowing that the next time you saw your daughter, she would be a woman.

But do not be sad, Mom. If it had not been for your sacrifices, I would never have gone so far. You convinced me to think I was brave. Thank you, again, for your wisdom. Because if I’m a mother some day, I hope I can do just as great as you. I love you Mom.