By Emily Mulcahey
Staff Writer
Uh oh. It has finally happened. I am becoming my mother.
I was talking to a friend who had just received her new and improved, finally 21-year-old license in the mail. The only problem was, it had been printed with her old (totally lame, 16-year-old) picture. As I told her to march down to the DMV and demand a fixed license it was almost as if my mother was saying it to me instead of the words coming out of my own mouth. Has it actually happened? The moment every girl dreads…am I becoming my mother? I must say, when I was fifteen, this would have been the absolute worst news in the world (no offense, Mom…okay, offense). Now? As much as I can’t believe I’m saying it, I couldn’t be happier.
Girls, don’t be afraid of becoming the woman who raised you. It’s inevitable, and when you realize it’s happened, it’s a pleasant surprise.
My mother is not your average woman. She can get things done faster than the crack of a whip. A sweet, gentle guidance counselor who takes care of a plethora of teenage problems one moment, and your worst enemy the next (“I’m going to need to speak to your manager,”). She is headstrong, and truly won’t take no for an answer (especially from her children). She is determined, and gets what she wants. And yes, she is exactly the kind of person I want to be.
My mom loves yoga, jogging, and girl’s nights. She is a woman’s woman, with a soft side when it’s needed, but the strength to give anyone an extra push when the time comes for it. Having been away for so long, I realize these qualities more and more each time I go home.
When I was younger, my mom and I butted heads so hard we could give bulls in the ring a run for their money. If you had told me six years ago that it was because we are so much alike, I would have laughed (and then probably cried). Now, it is totally undeniable.
To the girls afraid of turning into their mothers, I’m here to say: don’t be. Your mom is probably awesome, and you just haven’t realized it yet. I took my mom’s determination as tyranny (thinking back to my high school self, I probably could have benefitted from a tyrant). Today, this force of character is one of my favorite qualities about her. Her independence and strong will have both been passed on to me, and I can never thank her enough.
I have learned so much from my mom, and had never realized it until I left for college. She taught me independence, strength, determination, that I deserve the best, and that beauty is really not what you see, but rather what you feel. She taught me to be comfortable with myself, to go after what I want, and to not spend my time worrying over things that I have no control over. I have no idea who I would be today without her.
mulcahek12@bonaventure.edu
