I’m not all that great at saying thank you. There are times that I most likely come off as selfish, stubborn and unappreciative. Just know that I never mean to. In fact, it hurts me just as much as it hurts you when I realize I’ve been doing just that. You deserve the world handed to you for the things you’ve gone through to make me the person I am today, and this is my thank you.

So, here it is. Thank you, mom:

For being strong

If we’re going to start this off, we might as well dive in head first. Thank you for being strong. When things with my dad didn’t work out - thank you for putting me first. Thank you for always prioritizing me above your marriage, above yourself and above anyone who tried to tell you that he was more important than your child was. You’ve always made sure that I am the number one priority in your life regardless of what other people had to say about it. In doing so, I had the hardship of growing up watching a mother struggle to do things on her own, but I also had the privilege of seeing what hard work, determination, and perseverance could really do. You showed me that independence is hard work, but it’s worth every single moment of grief to be able to stand on your own two feet without anyone's help - especially without having to depend on anyone else for your stability and happiness. You are the strongest person I know, and I hope that I’ve made you proud in becoming even half as strong as you.

For being open-minded

You and I have a lot in common. After all, a lot of people say that I’m a younger version of you. However, people don’t know how much we disagree on. There are some things we talk about that you make me stop talking about before I even get started on, but then there are some things that you like to know about. Thank you for always listening to my crazy ideas about how the world works, and for letting me rant on and on about the things I learned about in college - even learning some things yourself. You never closed me off because of your beliefs and you always let me teach you things just like you’ve taught me. I appreciate it to no end that you’ve always been so open-minded with me, and are willing, to this day, to learn from me as I get older and learn new things, too.

For listening

This seems so cliche, but I really am thankful for your amount of time you spent listening to me. I’m sure my rants about the same people hurting me over and over again got annoying, but thank you for always letting me rant about them. Thank you for listening to me as I obsessed over people, music, movies, television shows, etc. Thank you for never judging me for how childish some of my favorite things are even though I am an adult. You’ve always been really good at putting yourself in my shoes and trying to understand where I’m coming from - even when my thought processes can’t possibly make sense to you. Thank you for trying to understand my weirdness!

For caring

Listening aside, there’s a difference between just listening and actually caring. You have always put me first in your life. Whether that meant my sports, my music, my schooling, etc. you were always there, caring. All those things you listened to, you didn’t just listen long enough to ignore them and move on - you asked questions, you sought details and you gave advice. Just recently I, a 26 year old woman, had an emotional breakdown on your couch thinking that I was going to lose someone I cared about over my own stupidity and you literally just sat there, held me and then told me exactly how to fix it. Sometimes I hate that you’re right, but I’m always thankful that you care enough to help me get through anything I might possibly face. On top of that, you’ve always cared about the people I care about. You take my friends in as if they’re your own. Once I love someone, you love them, too. You will never know how much I appreciate that (and I’m sure they do, too).

For encouraging me

I know I am not the most “normal” human being on this planet. When I’m told that, I usually ask what the definition of normal actually is. I don’t really enjoy social norms, nor do I enjoy abiding by them. If that’s “normal,” than I’m better off being different anyways. That being said, you’ve never once dulled my “sparkle.” In fact, you’ve encouraged me to sparkle (quite literally, because you like putting glitter on me and watching me glare at you). You’ve always been the one who’s told me to be true to who I am, regardless of who is telling me that I need to change. When people all around me ridiculed me for my beliefs, you told me to tell them all to mind their own business and just be me. Your encouragement has helped build a good majority of my individuality and confidence in myself, and I will never be able to thank you enough for that.

For believing in me

You believe in me when I don’t believe in myself. Many nights I’ve cried to you, telling you that I couldn’t make it. I’ve told you over and over again how useless I’ve thought my efforts were and that someone was always going to be better than me. Every single time you’ve looked at me and said, “Someone is only going to be better than you if you don’t try.” You’ve told me that you have faith in me, even when I don’t have faith in myself, and that belief has given me the strength to go forward, even with stupid decisions, because I know someone believes I can achieve my goals, even if I don’t believe it myself. You’ve always been my support system when the rest of the world disappeared, and you’ve always believed in my talents, dreams and hard work.

For your sacrifices

This is a big thing for me. While you didn’t become a single mom until I was a teenager, you were basically a single mom ever since the day I was born. My relationship with my father was and never will be anything like it is with you. You’re the person that woke up with me when I couldn’t sleep, that laid on the floor with me when you had work the next morning because the only way I’d fall asleep was by watching Winnie the Pooh and laying on my favorite blanket on the floor in our old living room. You’re the person who made sure I got to every practice, rehearsal, performance, trip or meeting on time as I grew up, and you made it to every single one of them that you possibly could. You canceled plans with friends, you went days with minimal amounts of groceries, you’ve lost a lot of sleep and you’ve probably made yourself sick over me so many times. You are a superhero in my eyes, and the sacrifices you made to help me get through life when no one else made me a priority will stick with me for the rest of my life. If I ever make you feel unappreciated, I am truly sorry. Just know that I’ve seen the pain, struggle and heartbreak you’ve gone through for me. Even if I’m horrible at showing you sometimes, I will always be grateful for you.

For being my best friend

Not only did you make those sacrifices for me, but you were and still are my best friend. Maybe that sounds cliche, but it’s the truth. You are the one person that is always willing to hop in my car and go on a road trip with me. We turn up classic rock music and scream it at the top of our lungs. You’ll go get Taco Bell with me at 11:00pm because I had a late night craving and you just happened to be awake, too. You’ve sat and watched me cry when people broke my heart, and have talked me through my own self-doubt when I thought I was the reason people disappeared from my life. You’ve fought with me when I’ve been stubborn, and you’ve definitely knocked me back to reality when I’ve gotten a little “too big for my britches” as you used to call it. (For those of you who aren’t familiar with that term - it just means that my ego got a little too big and she put me in my place.) You show me, daily, what being a true friend is, and you’ve taught me how to be that for others - even if they’ve never had a friend like that before.

For teaching me unconditional love

This is the biggest lesson you’ve taught me, and it is the one thing that sticks with me every day. You spent your entire life as a mother loving me more than anything else in this world. You love me when I’m a jerk. You love me when I’m friendly. You love me when I disagree with you. You love me when my anger gets the best of me. No matter what happens in this life, you are always there, loving me no matter what decisions I make. Your love for me is unconditional, and I hope I make you proud in showing that same love to the people I let close to my heart, too.

For being you

Most of all, thank you for just being you. Thank you for being that goofy, cheesy quote loving, classic rock loving, lover of all things sparkly that you are. You make a joke that you’re a queen, but it’s not a joke. You are the queen, and if I could hand you the world, I would. You deserve it.

Thank you, mom.