Becoming Ms. Frizzle

This one's for you, Mom.

Once upon a time there was this adorable little girl who loved her mother very much and gave her no troubles at all...until she hit puberty. Then she was a terror to her mother. Those next 7+ years were a trying time for both the girl and her mother, neither knew if they would make it through alive. By the grace of God, they did make it through. The little girl, now a young adult, moved 500 miles away to go to college and follow her dreams (and discover new ones) and the fighting and bickering began to wane more and more each year. Now this young woman is a college graduate, soon to be teacher, and misses her mother dearly because she has become one of her closest and dearest friends. This just goes to show that absence can make the heart grow fonder.

I'm sure you figured out that this is not a fairy tale story that you had never heard before now, it is the story of my life in a very small nutshell. My formative teenage years were quite terrible for my mother. She and I are very much alike and we were like two north poles on different magnets being forced together. We fought all the time, and boy were they good fights. I knew exactly which buttons to push to make her explode simply because they were the same buttons that would make me explode. But, we worked things out and I don't think any permanent damage was done.

Today I wish that my mom wasn't a teacher so I could call her in the middle of the day to just chat. Both of my roommates are able to do so and I miss the days when it was possible for me. My mother is an amazing woman who is so strong and has been through so much. She loves fiercely and passionately and works so hard at everything she does. Even throughout my terror years she encouraged me in everything I did and supported me through it all. I would not be the person that I am today without her. I hope that I am half the teacher she has become in three short years and I pray that when I have kids they will know as much love as I received as I grew up. If you haven't met this wonderful woman I speak of, you are sure missing out.