My mother and I are very similar, often too similar. We talk the same, have the same mannerisms, and have very similar attitudes. We fight the same and we cry the same. This can be absolutely unbearable or absolutely fantastic, depending on the situation, but nonetheless, it's something I cannot change. After all, she did raise me.

For a while, these similarities created a strong barrier between us, mostly by my own fault. In a desperate attempt for individuality, I distanced myself from her and anything I saw as symbolic of her.

We fought constantly, as she begged to stay close and I yearned for distance and difference. Looking back, this miserable act of tween angst pushed us far apart, and in trying so hard not to be her, I lost the ability to find me. Now, I realized it made those years harder for both of us, and I am so grateful to have the relationship we have today.

What changed? Sure, I got a whole lot less awkward and a helluva lot more confident, but mostly I accepted the fact that I am a lot like my mother. Not only do I look like her, with the same giant eyes, forehead and beaming smile, but also I act like her, talk like her and pretty often I think like her too. We laugh at the same stupid jokes and cry at the same Hallmark movies. We use the same weird phrases and have a million inside jokes. We have the same sense of humor and the same temper, which comes in handy more often than not.

We rarely fight, mostly because we both recognize that there's no winning, because I inherited her stubbornness and sharpness, and also because we are usually on the same page. She taught me independence and adventure, often much to her dismay, but it helped me to become a strong, young woman that emulates her in so many respects.

Overall, our dynamic changed for the better because I grew up and allowed myself to accept the fact that yes, to some degree, I am turning into my mother. But at the end of the day, I don't think that's so awful. Yes, we are different people, and yes, we all do turn into our parents someday, to some degree that is. It's just one of those things you just can't avoid, so it's much better to embrace it!