I don’t know how to write a sappy Mother’s Day story that will make everyone jealous of our relationship. My mom is not like that. She was never the person I ran to when I had problems, and she drives me insane half of the time. My mom was never my best friend, but I’m glad she wasn’t.

     I never needed a mom that would take me to get my nails done or a mom who would sugar coat everything to keep me from getting upset. I didn’t need a mom who would baby me and treat me like the best kid in the world because I wasn’t.
     My mom is everything I need. She is someone who will tell it like it is, whether it hurts someone’s feelings or not.
Here’s her Lesson No. 1: The world doesn’t sugar coat things and wait around for the cry babies.

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My mom was never into girly things. In fact, it irritated me when she made me come outside to help her move a fence because the boys aren’t tough enough to do it. My house was sort of flip-flopped. The girls did the outside work, and the boys would take care of the usual things like dishes and laundry – most of the time.
Here’s Lesson No. 2: Just because you’re a girl doesn’t mean you can’t put up a fence.
(Or, did she really mean just because you’re a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do a boy’s job?)

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My mom, a certified Emergency Medical Technician, was always gone at work, saving the people who needed it most. I was never lonely because I knew she was with people who needed her more than I do. Even when she had to work on my birthday a few years back, I didn’t mind, as long as she was around to share some cake later.
Lesson No. 3: Don’t be selfish.

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My mom is not the type to show when she is upset around people. I’ve never seen a single sign of weakness in her. The reality is nothing about her is weak. We lost my Uncle Dustin a while back, and every year when his birthday rolled around, she puts on a smile and keeps going.
Lesson No. 4: Being tough doesn’t mean you don’t get sad. It means you learn to roll with the punches.

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My mom can sometimes let her anger get the best of her, but she puts her whole heart into everything at home. Mom and Dad argue sometimes, but on their best days, I can see why my parents have put up with each other for so long.
Lesson No. 5: Pick your battles because no fight is worth sacrificing the love you have.

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My mom never put up with arguing with siblings. Even the time Mack locked me in the closet, and Rion had to get me out with a pocket knife. There was no sympathy because I was probably being a brat anyway. No matter the fight, she would scold both of us because of “Lesson No. 6.”
Lesson No. 6: You better get along because you’re stuck with each other.

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My mom has so much love in her heart for animals. We used to foster them before sending them off to their new homes. Even when I read poetry to the stray dog under the porch, she didn’t laugh.
Lesson No. 7: Love what you love, and don’t let anyone pull you away from it.

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My mom couldn’t make it to church often because her job was so demanding timewise, but she didn’t let that pull me away from the church, too. She let me go when I wanted, but it wasn’t until I became older that I truly wanted to go for the right reasons. She supported me the entire time, even when she didn’t want me to take those long, late night out- of- state church trips.
Lesson No. 8: Don’t let anyone’s attitude change your mindset. They may be in the wrong.

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The best thing about my mom is that she can handle anything. She is the strongest woman I’ve met. That’s why I’m happy that she was never my best friend. She built me up without using soft words and careful handling. She taught me how to be who I was meant to be without letting my beliefs waver. She taught me to stand tall with God and know that I can do all with Him by my side – and if I ever needed someone to fall back on, she would be there.