7 Things You Should Never Forget To Thank Your Mom For On Mother's Day

Thee are so many times in life when we get so busy and forget everything that made us who we are. You could be the most selfless person in the world, and I guarantee you have forgotten to thank the one person you should thank more than anyone. I mean, come on. Without her, you wouldn't even be here.

That's right. When was the last time you thanked your mother? I don't mean saying thank you for doing the laundry or picking me up new underwear at the store (although I'm sure many of us don't even thank her for that anymore).

I mean, when was the last time you really, truly looked at her and thanked her? It's been a while, hasn't it? There are so many things we should be thanking her for on a daily basis, yet we let days — even weeks — pass without picking up the phone just to let her know we're alive. I'm guilty of this myself.

But the truth is, there is no reason for it. No matter how busy we are, how many errands we have to run or whatever other lame excuse we've all manage to come up with, we need to realize all they want is to hear our voices. Hey moms, here are seven things — among the million others — we really are thankful for:

1. Thank you for having me.

You chose to go through nine months of being uncomfortable, moody, hangry and not being able to sleep right just for me. You'd hear my cries and get up at 3 am after you finally fell asleep for a mere 10 minutes. You did this out of pure love and adoration in hopes of being able to hold me one day.

Do you know how amazing that is? You loved me before I was even real, and you were willing to put your life on hold just to look at my face. That's seriously the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.

2. Thank you for teaching me.

You taught me to speak, walk, run and ride a bike. But, you also taught me to love unconditionally, that everything will be OK and that heartaches heal. You taught me it was perfectly fine to be silly and laugh until I cried and to make mistakes. You taught me it was OK to be me. I never realized how important that was until now.

3. Thank you for feeling.

If I fell, you felt the scrape. If I lost a tooth, you felt the excitement of putting it under my pillow. If someone broke my heart, you felt the pain in my chest. If I succeeded, you felt my joy. If I failed, you felt my fear.

You provided me with tough love, and you were also my cuddle buddy. You always said you feel what I feel, and until now, I thought that was just a saying. But, I finally get it. You put your heart on the line with every move I made. You suffered, cried and smiled all for me.

4. Thank you for grounding me.

I figured I'd have to be a fully grown adult before I ever thanked you for this or understood it. I hated you then, but I get it now. I now understand why you took away my phone or locked me in my room at times. It taught me to understand my actions have results, and I may not always like them. It taught me to think. All these little things have been so helpful while I was growing up.

5. Thank you for letting me be me.

Thank you for letting me cut and dye my hair when you knew I'd regret it. Thank you for letting me come home with tattoos and piercings, even though you totally hated them. Thank you for letting me dress ridiculously just because it was the "thing to do."

If you didn't let me be me, I would have never figured out who I was and who I didn't want to be. Also, if you had stopped me, I wouldn't have these ridiculous #TBT pictures.

6. Thank you for letting me go.

At the time, I didn't understand the big deal, but now I get it. You held me, you took care of me and you felt everything I've ever felt. You dedicated your life to me, and then I was gone. I went off to school, moved out and got a job that barely allowed me to be home. I'd spend days away at a time, and I never once thought about what that did to you.

I'd come running home, and you'd take me back, knowing you'd just have to let me go again one day. I know eventually you have to let go. But now that I'm older, I've realized I never actually wanted you to. You watched your baby leave to chase her dreams, even though it hurt you in the worst way.

7. Thank you for being you.

You are so beautiful, inside and out. You've gone so above and beyond for me. You've always put yourself last. You've created so many amazing memories for me and taught me how to survive. Most importantly, you've shown me what a mother is. You've set the bar for being a parent so amazingly high that if I'm half as good as you are, I'd be so proud. You've showed me how to be a good spouse, a good friend, a good teacher, a good coach and so much more.

I know these few thank yous will never amount to how many times I should have said it growing up, but from the bottom of my heart, I mean it. Thank you for being my best friend and protector, but above all, thank you so much for being my mom. I love you, always.