I've always been told that I'm wise beyond my years and after a while, I realized what people meant by that. I didn't wake up one morning and ask to be the mom to all of my friends. I didn't study what the right thing to do in every situation would be and I never really had a mom friend of my own. Maybe that's a reason I take such pride in being the mom friend, because I want to be what I never had.

Everyone knows that you learn something from every friendship you've ever had and these friends help make you who you are. I have learned a lot being the mom of the group, regardless if I've done the majority of the teaching.

I've learned to be responsible. Although this is something that I was taught when I was growing up, the situations were different when I was out on my own with my friends. There's a reason behind the things that I say and the suggestions I make. I advise you to stop drinking at a certain point, because I know how you feel the next morning. I offer to drive because I know that you find more joy in drinking than I do or because I don't want you to have to worry. I keep an eye on you when we're out with people we don't know because even though I know you can take care of yourself, I don't ever want anything to happen to you.

I take pride in the relationship I have with your parents. It is important to me that you trust me, just as it is important that your parents do too. I've learned that being mature will get you far in life and the way you present yourself will determine what people think of you. I believe that this is the reason why your parents don't think twice when they know I'm around. I've learned that earning the respect of the adults in your life will help better you in the future.

I've learned to be selfless. This applies to more in my life than I ever thought it would. I never thought twice about spotting you the extra cash you needed or sharing my tiny bed with you when you need a place to sleep. I never complained when you would wake me up at 2 in the morning because you called me when you needed my help with something. I've accepted the loss of sleep because you were upset about something and needed someone to talk to. Being the mom has taught me that I'm not the only person in this world and that I should be taking care of the people that I love.

I've learned to be patient. Saying the same things to you over and over isn't something that annoys me anymore. I've also come to realize that not everyone thinks like I do, so I need to have patience. I've also learned to be understanding. Sometimes things happen and there isn't much we can do about it. I've come to understand that some of you need different kinds of attention and encouragement. Along with understanding comes support. I've learned how each one of you deals with difficult situations and I know what will help get you through it all.

Most of all, I've learned how to be more maternal. Never do I regret being this role for you nor do I think that it will go unnoticed. I know that when I have children of my own, I can use the lessons I learned throughout our friendship. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be there for you and thank you for teaching me all these things. Thank you for always making me have fun and for making me laugh. I'm honored to be the mom friend. I will always love you, my children.