Appreciation to My Mother

By Sophia My mom had me when she was 13 years old. And naturally, my dad did not stay with us, a typical situation in teen pregnancy. But it’s more surprising, knowing that my family are Vietnamese. An Asian teen parent… What to make of that? It’s certainly not the mainstream, stereotypical image of a teen mom. Unlike some other teen parents, my mom continued high school. She went to Oakland Tech, and graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor’s in Public Health   I am amazed and grateful to have a strong mother who has always loved and cared for me more than anyone in this world. She always puts me first. I do not give my mom enough credit. I take her for granted. I had moments when I thought she did not love me, or I thought I truly hated her.   All I want is to make her proud. And the thing is, I doubt myself that I do. I cry often because of my insecurities of how imperfect of a daughter I am to her. Now that I’m older, I wish I could have appreciated her more before I go to college. I would eventually move out and live on my own.   Before I leave, I want to end our relationship on a good note. That’s why I try to not fight with her as much. I try to not provoke her with my actions. I try to be more obedient and be a good daughter like I’m supposed to. Being her first and only child, I cry to myself how I wish I would have surpassed the expectations she had of me. I wish I would be everything she planned for me when I was younger. We differ in opinions but we somehow compromise and accept it.   Coming from a poor family, especially since my mom raised me all by herself, you would think the “cycle” of teen pregnancy would continue. There has been countless arguments on boys and bad influences. I’m turning 16 this December, and I’m proud that I surpassed the age my mother had me.   I realized, that education really does get you out of “the hood” and it will make you successful in the long run. This is what my mom taught me. I love how my mom and I discuss the reality of society and it makes me hopeful because we sort of have the same ideals. Through thick and thin, your family is all you have. And what is more important than family.. is your education. I don’t think teens realize how important these points are, and how they intertwine. Even though my mom and I had a lot of downs in the past couple of years, we get along better now, and we’re very close. I’m making sure that this Thanksgiving, and continuing on, I would appreciate my mom more and let her know!