The 45 Things Every Daughter Should Thank Her Mother For

Dear Mom,

Thank you for being my best friend.

Thank you for showing me what it looks like to get up every day and be proud of what you do at work. Thank you for coming home every day and telling me all the things you have done in detail and for never using “tired” as an excuse to not cook dinner. Thanks for making me sit at the table with you and dad and asking me how my own day was. And thank you for never accepting the answers “I don’t remember” or “Nothing.” 

Thank you for knowing that something was wrong before I even had to say it. For listening to all my problems and never making them seem like they weren’t a big deal. Thank you for sitting down with me and helping me figure out a solution. For always being there when I am sure you had much bigger problems that needed to be solved.

Thank you for giving me a childhood where even if you were having money problems never told me anything about it, because you wanted me to stay a kid for as long as I could. Thank you for working hard so that you would be able to send me to college. And more importantly thank you for telling me if I didn’t want to go to college that it was okay as long I got a job and did something that I was passionate about. Thank you for supporting all the dreams I have besides the major I am studying in school.  

Thank you for not just saying you’re a cool mom, but being a cool mom. For letting me have a million people sleepover and giving us advice for all of our lame teenage problems. Thank you for driving me around the world for softball, volleyball, clubs, and Friday nights with my friends. For saying, “I’ll miss taking her places when doesn’t need me to do it anymore” when people say that you are crazy for dropping me off and picking me up places. Thank you for never making me feel like I was bothering you when I needed favors. And for taking me on vacations not only to have quality time, but to also meet different people.  

Thanks for always pushing me to do my best in school, but never forcing me to get perfect grades. For accepting that math wasn’t always my strong suit, and embracing that English was even though I was terrible at grammar. For coming to all my shows at school even when I had only one line. Thank you for being the proudest mom even when I was just an average student, and for talking highly of me even when I’m not around. For trying to learn and understand the things I love even though you may not “get it.”

Thank you for texting me when you hear a song on the radio that you think I would love.  For telling me to bring a jacket because somehow even though it was 80 degrees outside you knew I’d end up somewhere that I would be cold. Thanks for always having extra piece of gum for when our breath smells. For all the times you went to see movies with me because all my other friends only wanted to see the popular things. Thank you for not watching all our favorite shows until I came home from school. And also for saving episodes of things that you know I’d like even though I don’t watch the show.

Thank you for teaching me what it looks like to be truly in love. For showing me that fighting with my husband means I have a healthy marriage. Thank you for showing me that you didn’t have to do every single thing side by side and that it was okay to have different interests. Thank you teaching me to never settle for a man unless he is willing to stop chasing other woman and commit to you. Thank you for showing me that sometimes playing hard to get makes it worth it in the end. For showing me that people’s past are in the past for a reason and that there future is what matters. And thank you so much for taking care of dad even when he was to tough to admit that he needed help. 

Thank you for teaching me how to put myself first, even before my family. For never letting me give up even when I so badly wanted to. Thank you for listening to every single thing I have ever written. For teaching me the difference between quitting and walking away from something when it no longer makes me happy. Thank you for listening to me blabber on and on about any of my new obsessions even when you would have much preferred to be watching something on DVR. For constantly telling me that just because no one else likes it doesn’t mean it has no worth. 

Most of all thank you for loving me from the moment I was born, and always believing that I was destined for greatness. Because you believe in me I believe in myself.