I was four years old when I met her for the first time -- my now step mama, who I simply call "mama." I'm here today to tell everyone that Disney was wrong about step mothers. Of course, not everyone has been as fortunate in that regard as I was, but there are a lot of step mothers and fathers out there who don't get the credit they deserve.
As I previously mentioned, I met her when I was just four years old. It was an instant connection, and she did not hesitate to step up to the plate, even though there was absolutely nothing obligating her to do so. She truly filled the shoes of a mother and loved me like I was her own. Not long after, I had the opportunity to meet her sons, who I now call my brothers. They were much older than me, but they always treated me like their little sister anyway.
In short, I am extremely grateful to have met her and to have been welcomed into her family with such open arms. It's been 17 years and we've been through our trials and tribulations-- our ups and downs, but in the end, she remained my pillar and always had my back, no matter what. I remember being a teenager, and honestly, I'm not even going to try to make excuses for my teenage self-- she was impetuous and hard headed. Mama often compared raising a teenager (me) to "nailing jello to the wall."
Despite everything that we've been through, I definitely took a lesson away from it all. Family isn't always blood. The people who support you and love you sometimes deserve to be called family more than your actual blood family. I love my mama and I wouldn't trade her for the world. She has loved and supported me unconditionally. She has stood by my dad for 17 years and supported him through thick and thin. She has been an unwavering rock in our lives. I may be almost a foot taller than her and look nothing like her, but that's my mama.