Many years ago, when I sat down with my mom and talked to her about something I’d read in a book. That we should consider our parents as our best friends, I’d been shocked when she said No.

She explained it, though and that explanation has stuck with me to this day

Your dad and I are not your best friends, sweetheart. We can be friendly, but not friends. If we become your friends, that dictates that you tell us everything, every secret you’ve been entrusted with, because that’s what you do when you have a best friend.

But you need to have secrets, there are some things that you need to learn by yourself. We will always try to shield you if we knew of everything you wanted to do. And if we let you throw away opportunities like that, we’ll be bad friends, right?

There should be a few secrets between sisters, inside jokes that only you both know about, that you’ll giggle and shake your heads if we ask you.

There should be a few things you could decide not to tell us, not anything major, though! I’d whack you for that! But smaller things that are between you and your friends.

So no, we’re not best friends, sweetheart, we’re your parents.

It was a long talk which makes so much more sense as the years pass. It was important for me to be able to make that distinction and I love my mom all the more for it!

So I’m not going to say she’s my best friend and I’m not going to say I tell her everything. But I do tell her almost everything and I can count on her to always be there when I need her and sometimes when I don’t even know I need her.

She’s not always on my side and she’s the one to call out the things she believed are wrong.

So thank you for being you,Mom

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

So for Wandering Soul’s Story Continuation Prompt for this week is Mother so I linked this one. Go visit her blog !