There’s so many things I could say about my mother; good, bad and ugly (I’ll keep it cute this time lol). Sounds cliché, but my mom is my best friend. We weren’t always this close. You would think that us being in two separate continents we would drift apart, but somehow the distance has made us closer. My mom and I talk almost every day, about everything you could imagine. My mom is my mentor, my therapist, and overall my biggest inspiration. I can say I honestly gave my mom a hard time while I was growing up. I was always into SOMETHING, whether I should or shouldn’t have been. I wanted to share some of my favorite memories with my mom. (I’m sure she will get a kick out of these).

I was probably four years old and I was always trying to be slick. I remember one day I tried to sneak some candy. My mom had one of those boxes of chocolate, and it was on the kitchen counter. I just kept sneaking pieces of chocolate, and putting the box back on the counter. Somehow the box slipped off the counter & all the chocolate spilled all over the kitchen floor. My mom was furious. She made me sit & eat all those chocolates off the floor. This taught me to always ask permission.

I think I was in kindergarten when I chopped off my hair. My mom told my sister to take out my braids before she got back from my Gramas house. My sister didn’t want to help me with my hair, & I didn’t wanna get a spankin. So I got some scissors to help, I cut above the rubber bands so I can take my braids out faster. I cut about 2-3 inches off. I took all the leftover hair & hid it in a plastic jack-o-lantern in my room. My mom immediately noticed when she got home, needless to say I got in huge trouble. I’m pretty sure my mom still has the hair in a bag. This taught me to be patient (still a work in progress).

When I was in the second grade, my mom thought I had alopecia. I know, sounds crazy. I’ll start from the beginning. You know the phrase, “monkey see, monkey do”? Well I had always watched my mom arch her eyebrows, and when mine began to get bushy, I wanted to do the same. One day I went in my mom’s bathroom and used her razor to shave my eyebrow, & it wasn’t what I expected. I shaved a huge chunk out of my eyebrow & I was so embarrassed. I didn’t say anything to her, but when she noticed, she freaked out. We went to all sorts of doctors & dermatologists. They gave me special shampoo to help my eyebrow grow back. I kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t until my junior year in high school that I slipped up and asked my mom if she remembered that time I accidently shaved my eyebrow off. Oops! This taught me to let things in the past, stay in the past.

I was in seventh grade when my mom, sister & cousin worked together to put out my mom’s ex-boyfriend. We literally packed all his things & put it in his car, we went to a party afterwards. Sounds like girl power to me! This taught me not to take crap from anyone.

I was in ninth grade when I got my first job. It was a surprise to my mom, she didn’t even know I was looking for a job. Seeing my mom work hard inspired me. This taught me independence.

I was in the eleventh grade when my mom drilled my bedroom window shut. I clearly wasn’t as discreet as I thought. This taught me to not be sneaky.

I was also in eleventh grade when I bought my first car, in cash. My mom helped me with the entire process. She told me I was the first person in the family to buy my own car in cash. This taught me to go after what I wanted.

My mom is probably the only person in the world who really understands me. My mom is my biggest supporter in everything. My mom still helps take care of me when I feel like I can’t take care of myself. I haven’t seen my mom in almost two years. In the airport, where she sent me off to Japan to be with my husband. It was one of the toughest days of my life. I ugly cried, I haven’t yet mastered the graceful cry. It was hard on both of us. I think the distance has showed us what really matters. Whether we live 8000 miles apart, or 8 feet apart, I will forever cherish & appreciate my mommy.

                Living so far away from my mom has taught me that I will always need my mother.