Being a 20 year old in college, I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrase "I hate my mother" or "My mom and I don't get along." Of course, there are many instances where thee statements are justified. An example being one of my best friends from High-school, his mother was mentally unstable and a raging alcoholic (which, those two apparently do not go together. Go figure.). But, if your mother has raised you since the day you were born, feed you meals every day of your life, supported you, and loved you then... you have nothing to complain about.
Now, if it's not the talk of hatred about mothers, it's about simply no acknowledgment at all. Which frankly, I'm not sure is better or worse.
the reason I'm bringing up this topic today is because- well, I lost my mother over a year ago. On June 5th of 2015, my mother passed away from ovarian cancer. She went on that long battle for two entire years. And let me tell you guys, I never even knew it was possible to miss somebody that much. You know that saying "don't know what you got till it's gone"? That is so accurate it's unreal.
She and I didn't always get along of course. She was good at nagging me and demanding things: like help her with the laundry, or when I was smaller, demand to brush my hair despite my raging objection. But, she also was the parent who always gave me hugs and told me she was proud of me. She was a parent who always attended the Theater competitions we always lost at, the football games where she would hear the same 20 cheers on a constant loop. She was the parent who always made dinner, sometimes it being good, sometimes not so good. But boy how you miss those not-so-good dinners now. How you even wish she was here to brush your hair, which has never improved from the constant tangled mess it was when I was 8. She was everything a daughter could ever want/need and more. She was perfect. And I miss her more and more every single day.
This post is not meant to be a guilt trip, nor an angsty rant from me. It's simply to serve as a reminder to you all of who and what is most important in your life. And please don't get me wrong here- again, there are LOTS of people in the world who are unfit to be parent. But when you're lucky enough to get them, you best appreciate them. Because one day, you just might not have them anymore.