Mother and child: A beautiful dynamic

Mothers and their children have a special relationship. It goes through ups and downs, twists and turns. It’s beautiful and magical, but also educational and full of learning experiences. The values and life lessons we learn from our parents shape who we are as people.

When we’re growing up at home, we take in everything our parents do and say. When we are babies, they hold and feed us. They care for us and help us grow into children. When we are children, they teach us how to be polite, converse and communicate with peers.

Then we become teenagers, and they aren’t holding our hand everywhere anymore. Partially because we want to feel “grown up” and partially because they want to watch us mature. But even though they don’t spend as much time with us, they still hold us in their hearts.

And once we enter our twenties, we become the adults.

I know technically 18 is an adult, but to me, my 18-year-old self had lots of growing to do in order to be the person I am today. I am constantly learning and maturing in Boston now, away from my parents. It’s interesting how our surroundings shape and change who we are. Over the past two years, I’ve slowly become someone that feels authentic to me, little by little.

But that’s all thanks to my mom. She taught me the importance of awareness, loyalty, compassion and openness. She’s always made me feel safe, and her voice has always been so special to me.

The values my mom taught me growing up are the values I search for in my friendships and the world around me. Having core values that I stand by and finding friends with the same values is magical.

I hope everyone finds a person who feels like home.

That person for me is my mom. Because regardless of whether we are angry or annoyed with each other, I can talk to her about anything, and she will be there for me.

I want to preach the importance of role models and people you look up to. Those people help shape who you are. Your role model may be Rihanna, your grandma, your brother, a parent or whoever else inspires you.

Whoever that may be, hold onto them, and they will hold onto you. I think everyone can benefit from a parental relationship.

Sometimes I long for those days when my brother and I would play outside after school while our parents watched us. Those days are simple and blissful and bring me joy. I think everyone misses those days and those moments when we could just be kids, only ever worrying about what we were going to do during recess.

I will say I miss those days sometimes, but I also remember how those days brought me to where I am today. Everything my parents taught me during those years shaped me as a person.

The values I learned at home and at school in “Lessons and Living” — a class specifically dedicated to teaching children how to be compassionate — are what I remember most about my childhood.

Even during school, my mom was with me. She taught in my elementary and middle school where I was able to put her lessons to good use with my peers. But it wasn’t hard to get along with the kids at my school because they were all special in their own way. It’s funny — regardless of how different we all were, we were all brought up in the same way.

So thank you mom for bringing me to a life-changing school and showing me the ropes of life. Thank you for supporting me and my dreams. Thank you for looking out for me and loving me, always and forever.

I owe it all to you.