Dear mama

My mom almost died giving birth to me.

She lost five pints of blood over the course of an hour.

Twenty-two years and five months later, she gets to experience me walking across the stage receiving my bachelor’s degree in communication.

My mother never had the opportunity to go to college, which is unfortunate because she is one of the most intelligent human beings I know, and her work ethic is inhuman. She gets to live vicariously through me and my accomplishments, and knowing this motivates me to exceed my limits.

I do not want her to be proud of what is expected of me. I want her to be proud of what is not expected of me.

I am graduating with high honors. I have a 3.9 GPA, I am the recipient of the Outstanding Senior of the Year award for the communication department, I am minoring in sociology and receiving a certificate in journalism. Yet, I would not have been able to achieve any of this if it was not for the best mom in the world.

Everybody has adversity they overcome, but my mom has encountered so many different obstacles in her life and conquered all of them.

Last year, she lost both of her parents – two major tragedies. But she did not give up. She was influenced to work hard and ensure we had nothing to worry about.

I tend to often call her and vent when I am having a rough day at school, but she never complains, even when she has the excuse to.

Sometimes, I become overdramatic and think the world is over for me, but she is there to remind me pain is temporary and will drift away eventually.

My mother may be vigorous, powerful and hard-working, but do not let her fool you. She is the most caring and loving individual I know, and has an impact on my behavior and who I am.

I could sit here and tell you why my mom is the best until I am blue in the face, but I think it is ideal for you to understand why she is the most influential person in my life.

I used to dread her coming home from work because she would nag my brother and I to clean around the house, do our homework and behave.

Now, I cannot go a week without hearing my mom’s voice or seeing her because I miss her so much.

I feel remorse for the times I disagreed, yelled, argued and disobeyed her because she is always right.

Going away for college made me much more aware of her unconditional support. She never questions any of the decisions I make for myself. She is just there to give me advice and guide me along the way, which I am so thankful for.

No matter how successful I may be in the future, I will never be able to pay my mom back for everything.

It is time I show her my appreciation.

Mothers around the world are so underrated, and we need to show more love and respect for what they do for us.

Erik Tingue is an assistant features editor and can be reached at erik.tingue@ubspectrum.com and @TingueErik.