Dear Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's that read or stumble upon this little blog. As a mother myself I really appreciate everything my Mom did for me. It's really something coming to the realization that Mom just wanted what was best for me. She wasn't trying to keep me from being happy, she wasn't trying to ruin my life, she had been there. She had lived her own version of being a teenager. I don't know a whole lot about it, but I'm guessing it really wasn't a whole lot different from me being a teenager. I hope she knows that I am now grateful that she was strict and pretty unwavering in her decisions. It kept me out of more trouble than she knows. I can only imagine what could have happened if I had parents who didn't care who my friends were or didn't mind where I went after school. Back then I had to call my parents to let them know I made it my destination and I'll call you when I leave. I had better be home in a reasonable amount of time after that call, too. I'm not saying I never screwed up and lied to them. I was not the perfect child they remember. (although that's pretty awesome) I think they are proud of the adult I've become. Their parenting style is different than mine. I don't think I will be as strict as they were, but I'm also not going to be my child's best friend. I anticipate them saying I don't understand what it's like, I'm old and things have changed, I'm mean or unfair. I will hope I know during those times that I'm doing the right thing. I hope my Mom knows she did the right thing.

Thanks for not letting me go to those parties, sleepovers, long trips for choir with hotel rooms and boys. I am pretty sure I would have gotten in trouble at some point. The trouble I did get into seems pretty minor compared to the trouble I could have gotten into. Thanks for not being my best friend while I was growing up. Thanks for being such a close friend now that I have grown up.Thanks for sacrificing things that you may have wanted for things that I wanted. Thanks for making me clean my room. Thanks for hanging up the "bad letters" from my friends on the fridge so I knew I was not going to get away with anything. Thanks for caring about how I felt when that girl said I was waiting for a flood with my high water jeans. Thanks for making all those dresses that made it so hard for me to say that I wanted a store bought dress. Thanks for being patient with me. Thanks for giving me life. Thanks for loving me through it all. I love you, too.