LIFE

As I approach my last year as a teen, I can’t help thinking that I’m only a few short years away from being the age my mom was when she had me. She was in college and about a month away from her 22nd birthday when I was born. I always like mentioning this to people because unlike some young moms, she kept up her hard work and graduated college to be able to get a job and give me an amazing life...and she did it all on her own.

There’s a certain dynamic my mom and I have that’s totally unique compared to my friends who have older parents. My mom and I kind of grew up together when you think about it, because in your twenties, you don’t know who you are yet and what you’re going to do with your life. Growing together brought us closer in so many ways.

In middle school and high school, I struggled to understand why some of my friends were so distant with their moms. I grew up having my mom as my best friend. She knows everything about me because I tell her everything. Even now at 18, there isn’t anything I keep from her.

When I met one of my best friends in middle school, she wasn’t very close to her mom. They didn’t talk much about their personal lives or spend a ton of time together. Her mom is about 10 years older than mine, and I do think that that made a big difference in how their relationship formed. I remember her telling me how weird and foreign it was to her that I was so close to my mom.

My mom has always been the “cool” mom that hangs out with me when my friends are over because she loves the girl talk, and she gives the best advice. That same best friend saw this and it made her want to get closer to her mom.

I’ve learned so many valuable lessons being close to my mom. Because I grew up being so comfortable talking to my mom, I’ve learned a lot based on experiences she’s had. She's always been open with me about what she’s gone through and how she’s over come tough situations.

If there is one con to having a young mom, it might be that we are so close that sometimes I think of her as *just* a best friend. But she is my mom first and I do have to respect her telling me what to do, grounding me when I don’t clean my room and providing a roof over my head and food on the table.

My mom gave me a love for Simon & Garfunkel and 2Pac, an appreciation for cheesy 80’s movies, the humor for 90’s sitcoms and her homemade hand-me-down scrunchies. Even more importantly, she gave me an incredible sense of self and the motivation to work hard for what I want.

I feel like I got to experience so many amazing things having a young mom. I only hope to inspire other young girls to open their minds to sharing their lives with their moms and letting their moms share as well.

What’s your relationship like with your mom? Tell us in the comments below!

by Bella Torres | 11/4/2017