As a teen, you might have thought everything was overrated. You may have filled your closet with the latest trends, because the ones from last season were, well, so last season. The music on the radio was too mainstream, so you may have listened to bands that you found on your own. You also may have rolled your eyes at mostly everything — from your homework assignments to your mom's advice and comments on your attitude. Truth is, you just desperately wanted her to consider you an "adult." Now that you've grown up, there are some things your mom does for you in your 20s that annoyed you in your teens (but you're really grateful for now).
Back then, you might have been frustrated any time your mom wanted to teach you how to cook something in your kitchen. You might have looked at her and said, "Mom! I have so much homework to do," not realizing that you'd want to know those recipes down the road. You might have begged her to stop telling you stories from her childhood, because you wanted to make new memories. You didn't know that those stories were full of advice that would help you navigate your 20s.
Long story short: You know these things now, and are grateful that your mom does these five things for you. Send her a "thank you" card, OK?
First things first: As a teenager, you'd get so annoyed every time your mom came into your room. You'd roll your eyes when she didn't knock before opening the door, and get aggravated when she asked about the piles of clothes on your floor. You'd think to yourself, "Ugh! I have a system, Mom!" Times have changed, though.
Back then, your mom just wanted to vacuum, or dust off your dresser and shelves real quick, and you're not sure why you were so upset about it. Nowadays, you're grateful any time she wants to help organize your apartment or offers to fold your laundry and put it away.
You thank her for cleaning your dishes when you cook, and doing the chores that you were dreading on your to-do list. What would you do without her?
On the weekends, there's nobody you'd rather hang out with than your mom. She's your very best friend, and is always excited to spend time with you.
Together, you may have gotten into the tradition of ordering pizza, drinking wine, and watching movies on Friday nights. Sometimes, you do facials and go through old photo albums, too. (It's so much better than throwing on a pair of heels and spending your night at a bar where it's crowded and sticky. Am I right?)
But, this wasn't always your routine. In fact, in your teens, you only wanted to hang out with your friends and talk about the latest drama going on in high school. You wanted to go to the movies or local diner for milkshakes, and were annoyed when your mom said, "Not tonight."
Imagine this: You're in your teens, walking around the grocery store with your mom on a Saturday afternoon. You're casually throwing snacks into the cart like popsicles and bags of chips. From the other side of the aisle, you can hear your mom say, "Put it back." You get annoyed, complain about how there's never any "good" food in your pantry at home, and your mom just nods. She has a list and plans on sticking to it.
Now that you're in your 20s, you understand and appreciate why. Truth is, all those extra snacks can get expensive, and you rarely buy them for yourself. Saying "put it back" was your mom's way of reminding you to save your money for more important things like rent or experiences you want to have.
You gladly accept those reminders as an adult, and all your mom's other advice. She really knows everything.
Being in your 20s means you're likely learning a lot about relationships and friendships. You're learning that you need to put yourself first sometimes, and that you should stop looking for your soulmate, because things will happen naturally when they're meant to. You're finding that some of the friends who have been in your life since day one aren't your "people" anymore. It's weird, exciting, and most importantly, totally OK.
Odds are, you're not the only one learning, living, and loving, and your mom reminds you of that on the reg. She gives you advice based on her own experiences, and tells you stories that are really comforting.
As a teenager, you likely didn't listen to this advice as much or take it to heart. You're so grateful for it now, though. Phew!
When you were a teenager, you wanted nothing more than to be an adult. You wanted your mom to stop treating you like her "baby," and to start letting you stay out until midnight or later. You wanted her to stop telling those embarrassing stories from when you were a kid, especially when your best friends were in the room.
Now that you've reached adulthood, though, your mindset has changed. In fact, you call your mom on weeknights just to ask her about the time you made an epic pillow fort with your siblings. You put her on speaker phone so that she can talk to your roommates about the time you got chocolate pudding all over your face, or your princess-themed birthday parties.
Truth is, you do miss being a kid, and you've realized that being annoyed with your mom in your teens was actually so #overrated.
