Dear Mom,

Thank you for everything you have done for me all these years. You have been the greatest role model I could have ever asked for! Our family has been through so much together, good and bad, and I am so grateful that you stuck by my side during all of it, even when nobody else was there.

I honestly don't know where I would be without you. You encourage me when I'm feeling down, you correct me when I'm in the wrong, you always make sure I'm putting forth my best effort (even if it's something I really don't want to do) and you are always, always here for me. Not only are you my mom, but you're my best friend, and not many people can say that.

Thank you for setting boundaries. I never liked the rules you had set in place for me, and with me being the oldest I'm sure I got dealt the worst hand. But that's okay. Thank you for making me have an early curfew and for making me turn in my phone before I went to sleep. I didn't really need a phone in sixth grade anyway.

Thank you for running me to every practice, game, meet and more. I wouldn't have made it anywhere on time or at all if it weren't for you constantly picking me up and taking me places. As great as it is having my license and driving myself places, sometimes I wish you still came to pick me up and nagged at me about how my day was!

Thank you for being understanding. I haven't always made the best choices, no kid does. But you were never quick to punish me, you always made sure to understand how I felt and where I was coming from before I got in trouble. Even now that I'm officially an adult, I know I can turn to you with any issue I have and that you will help me in any way you can.

Thank you for having my back. There is a lot of drama that comes with raising four kids, especially when you have more than one teenager in the house! Thank you for standing by me when girls were picking on me, when I didn't get the grade I wanted, or when I was feeling down about how I performed on a test that day. Thank you for always reassuring me that being the bigger person and being kind to others was more important than being popular. Thank you for making me understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being yourself.

Thank you for teaching me to find the good in every situation. No matter what happens in my life, I try to find something good out of it and that is one quality that comes directly from you.

Thank you for being my best friend. I know that no matter what happens during the course of my life, the first person I'll call when I'm sad, happy, excited, embarrassed or crying because I hit an animal with a car, will be you. You tell me what I need to hear when I need to hear it and keep me grounded and I am so grateful for that.

You encourage me to follow my dreams, even if they're completely absurd. You're the best mommy a girl could ask for and I love you with all my heart!

Sincerely,

Your grateful daughter