As children we knew our parents as just our parents. They go to work to provide for us. They come home to see us. Their life really began when they had us. We assume that they were always just a parent because that’s all we have ever known them as. It never even crossed our minds that they are more than that; much more than that. They are a husband or wife, a friend, a sibling, a boss, an employee, and most important of all: they were once children too. But they didn’t grow up like we have. The world was a different place then- for better and for worse. We children automatically assume that back then must have been worse. We believe this because we grew up believing that we are the center of the universe. In some aspects, we still believe this; we refuse to grow up from our comforting childhood.
What happens when our growing minds begin to ponder the possibility of someone else’s life being more interesting than ours? I mean what could possibly be more interesting than the life of a fifteen year old girl with the world at her doorstep? From observing others, I have realized that I am not the only one who has ever thought this. And I also know that I am not the only one who has had some kind of wakeup call when you realize that your mother, who you believed was always wrong, was once a teenager too. She played sports, joined clubs, had parents that she rebelled against, and she too, experienced high school. She spent an hour in the morning getting ready to make sure she looked just right, only to be torn down by others without harmful intent. She gossiped with her friends about who would get asked to prom. She tried out for the middle school basketball team and didn’t make it. She also grew up believing the world revolved around her.
From this you may assume that your parent’s childhood was very similar to ours. In some cases it is. They grew up in a loving family, had the world at their feet, and all the friends in the world. In other cases, it's not. They did not grow up with the world at their feet. They did not grow up with all the love and care in the world. They did not have college paid for them. They had to work their ass off. But it's all okay because, now, they have us. And it's us that needs to understand that we aren't the center of the universe.
This isn't some love story about my life compared to my parents. This isn't a novel about how much I love and appreciate my mom. This is a simple shout out. Yes, a shout out to my mom. A shout out telling her that I am finally starting to understand life and all that she has done for me. So, mom, this one's for you. This is for you letting me grow up for as long as I wanted to. For accepting me as an adult when I wanted to be one, and then letting me be a child again. For helping me along the way. For being the center of my universe.