Happy Mother’s Day From Victoria Fraser

In celebration of Mother's Day on Sunday May 13, we asked Patch readers to write a letter to their mother and let us deliver it. This is Victoria Fraser's letter to her mom:

Dear Mom,

Starting in pre-school at First Church, I always matched head to toe. My blonde hair would be braided with scrunchies that complemented my shoes and coordinated with my outfit. Color coordination was key: Green shirt meant green pants, jeans meant white top. I would say I was the epitome of fashion when it came to my fellow pre-k through fifth-grade peers. When I hit sixth grade and decided to start fully dressing myself, let’s just say I try to avoid those old pictures now. Although I still may never forgive you over the agonizing hair-brushing sessions, if it wasn't for you, I would have been a complete fashion disaster.

Growing up in Swampscott, Massachusetts, you taught me the importance of family. Being surrounded by family members all basically living on the same street, you always stressed the importance of playing outside with cousins or going to visit Nana at the top of the hill. Forcing me to play outside or doing crafts instead of watching TV all day enhanced my creativity and created a limitless imagination that has made me who I am today. It made our bond as a family stronger.

Every holiday reminded me of the importance of family and tradition. No matter how little the holiday may be, the house would be decked out according to the theme. For Halloween, I always had the best costumes growing up. If I wanted to be something that didn’t have a costume, you would make one. I remember rocking that Sailor Moon costume even when no one knew who Sailor Moon even was. Or that time I broke my foot in kindergarten so you made me the Statue of Liberty to cover the boot. Christmas was a joyous time of memories that I still cherish and feel nostalgic about to this day. You still make sure the family spends time together and that we all get into the spirit.

You never pushed me too hard. Good grades were certainly important, but one bad grade was never detrimental. You let me do my work on my own terms unless I asked for help. This taught me to be independent. You taught me to be my own person and stand up for myself.

Of course not all our times together were perfect. Middle school is a rough time for moms and daughters everywhere. I was learning how to grow up and although we fought and bickered, you always had my back. You were always on my side, even if I was wrong. You were never afraid to turn on overbearing-mother mode when someone did me wrong. You knew whenever I was frustrated or angry that I never meant the words I said, and you gave me space until I came to my senses.

Going into my late high school years and stressing about selecting a college, you helped me every step of the way. The fear of moving on from our little town made me panic more than you may have known, but your push got me through it.

First semester of college was hard. The change was too new to handle. You made sure I stuck it out until I started to enjoy myself. You pushed me to follow my dreams of hospitality and in junior year I reached my ultimate goal of participating in the Disney College Program thanks to your encouragement. Did I mention we kind of like Disney? I think everyone reading this at this point knows exactly who we are thanks to our "slight" obsession.

You never let jealous girls or bullies’ words go to my head. You always showed me why being myself and never changing who I am was important. Now that I am approaching my college graduation in just one week, you were my number one advocate for returning to Disney and continue to follow my dreams.

I love spending time with you and forcing you to go on coffee dates with me. You always listen to what I need to say and always give me your honest opinion without judgement, which I value more than you may ever know. Although we may still bicker or disagree at times, just know it’s only because you raised a stubborn and strong-willed girl who clearly takes after her mother. When people compliment my imagination and creativity, they all know where it came from. Whenever I panic or stress myself out, turning my anxieties into yours as well, you deal with it (even if you get clearly annoyed).

You always tell me that things will work out, and hearing you say, "Everything happens for a reason," eases my mind immensely.

On that note, Mom, it’s obvious I love you and I make sure you know it every day. Everything certainly does happen for a reason and thanks to the life you gave me, I received a best friend I know will always be by my side every step of the way. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

Love,
Victoria

—Victoria Fraser

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See all Mother's Day letters here.

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For next month's Love In A Small Town feature, we want to help you give Dad the best Father's Day gift ever. Write him a heartfelt letter to tell him how much he means to you, email it to locallove@patch.com and we'll feature it in your town's newsfeed on Father's Day. Get more details here.

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Photo Credit: Victoria Fraser