Mother and daughter bond

 This picture reminds me of the special mother and daughter bond my mom and I share. That’s me at the age of six after my uncle’s high school graduation at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. 

Mother and daughter bond

I remember so many little details from this day. My mom and I were on our way to my uncle’s school when she spilled coffee all over her blouse. We rushed to the stores to buy a new top, which turned out to be even prettier than the one that got stained. I remember her laughing about the whole thing and questioning if the top matched with the skirt as my other uncle drove us to the graduation. It’s pretty crazy that I can remember this along with the color of the car’s interior and that we managed to make the graduation on time. 

Words cannot describe the special relationship I have with my mother. She had me a young age, so we went through a lot together as she did her best to raise me, go to school and work. It wasn’t easy, and she did her best to give me the most normal childhood she could despite the challenges. 

Related: Happy Mother’s Day

Our relationship wasn’t without its complicated moments. My mother is a very conservative woman who pursued  a life in academia. I was her feisty, artsy child with very liberal beliefs. Needless to say, we’ve disagreed on a lot of topics the moment I got a glimpse of independence. 

As I’ve gotten older, we’ve been able to use our different beliefs as a catalyst for some really great conversations about our personal lives, our very diverse family and the world. We realized that we’re not so different after all. We just had different experiences (even in the same situations). In fact, in many ways I’ve turned into my mom, and I’m proud to say that I have. She’s one of the most selfless people I know. Heck, if I can miraculously inherit her organizational skills, I’ll be golden. 

“The special bond shared between a mother and daughter is the one place in all the world were hearts can be sure of each other. Like branches on a tree, we may grow in different directions, but our roots remain one.”