When I decided to write a senior column, I knew exactly what it would be about: My mom. She has always been there for me, even with two other siblings. She was able to manage us as well as multiple jobs.
From what I’ve seen my mom do for us, parenting is not easy, especially being the main support for our family. My parents divorced when I was only a toddler. Every week it was the same: Dad’s house on the weekends and Mom’s house on weekdays.
My mom was the only one paying for the three of us, working multiple shifts at different places, and working as a school nurse so she could spend summers with us. I never felt like my mother gave more attention to my siblings: she treated us all equally, playing card games after dinner almost every night, and being there to help me with my homework.
Every night, my mom would tuck me in and ask me what my favorite part of the day was to end the day on a positive note. She would read to me or sing me lullabies.
Even though most of the time my mom wasn’t struggling with the three of us, she still needed the support of another adult when times got hard. My grandpa would come over every morning to take care of us before school, so my mom could go to work.
Every morning, I would wake up and run down to see my grandpa sitting on our couch on his flip phone. Even though I was young, he and I created a bond in that way.
When my grandpa passed away, it was especially hard on my mom. I remember when we found out he was gone. We were on our way back home from vacation with our grandma. I knew as soon as my mom walked into the hotel room and sat us all down that he was gone.
We checked out of the hotel and left in a hurry. Even though my mom was in shock and in distress, she was still able to round us all up in the car and drive us home that night.
My grandma became my mom’s biggest support. She would come over whenever my mom was stressed and talk her through it. Every morning changed, we started going to a babysitter’s house and going to school with her kids every morning. Once we were old enough, we would walk to school with other kids in my neighborhood.
When my mom met her boyfriend, everything got easier. Grandma didn’t need to come all the time. He was the permanent support for our family. He and his daughter moved in during the pandemic, and my mom didn’t need to work as much.
My mom has always been my support. No matter what, I knew I could go to my mom about everything. She would listen to me and give me advice. She woke me up every morning and put me to bed every night.
My mom will continue to be my support, even as an adult.
Hello! My name is Jessica Bellah and I'm a senior and this is my first year on 42Fifty Staff. I serve as a staff reporter and the Opinions Editor. I am also an editor for our school's yearbook, The Reflector. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
