Learning by Example

Ada Freiberg, fifth place

“Be the women you look up to”- Anonymous

When I was younger I remember always getting asked questions like “Is there someone in your life that you look up to?”

And “Why do you look up to them?” When I was younger I didn’t know the answer but now I do. This person is my mom. My whole life she has always been the hardest working person I know, and she is the reason I’m the person I am today.

My mom had me when she was 17, so when I was a kid she was busy a lot. She was going to college to get her degree while working a full time job, but she always made time for me. I knew she had a lot of school work and a lot of work stuff to do every night, but she rarely had to choose that over other things. No matter how stressed she was or how much stuff she had to get done she was always there. She was always there to put up with mine and my sisters’ fights, our attitude, our drama, and our everyday life. There was barely a day that went by where my mom didn’t have to take a break from her school work or her other priorities for me. And rarely did she ever complain, let alone make me feel bad for it.

Most of the ways I act came from my mom. She was always there to teach me by example, but if that wasn’t an option she would explain it to me. My mom was always polite to people even if she wasn’t in a great mood. One of the things that she can’t teach by example because of the fact that she’s no longer in school, is my grades. It has always annoyed me the way she pushes me so hard to get good grades like she did when she was young and to not make dumb choices, but at the end of the day I know she just wants what’s best for me, and she wants me to have the opportunities she couldn’t have.

The most loving person I know has always been my mom. She always makes sure others feel loved and know how important they are to her. Almost everyday my mom tells me how proud of me she is and how much she loves me. I always act annoyed but on the inside it truly means a lot to me, and I know she knows that. When I was younger every day after school she would ask me how my day was and we would talk about it for so long because she knew that was something I enjoyed doing, even though it was just one of those little things. But she showed me that there’s no such thing as a “little thing”; everything that someone finds important is equally important, and should be valued just as much as something you find “more” important.

From this experience I learned to make time for others and tell them you love them and show them you care. Make sure they know how proud they make you, and how important they are because it really does make a person feel good. I also learned to not judge people over mistakes they’ve made because mistakes don’t define who you are. If you want to accomplish something you need to work for it even if it means not having much free time. Always being polite and using my manners is another thing I learned to do, it might not seem important but it is.

I live my life trying my hardest to be the way my mom has taught and showed me by example how to be. I try my hardest in school and work hard in my sports to make my mom proud, and to succeed in the life she worked so hard to give me. I always make sure my friends and family know how much I love them, and know how proud I am of them and how important they are. I try my hardest to make time for my loved ones, so they know I care. I don’t judge others for mistakes they’ve made because I know they don’t define that person, all that matters is who they are as a person. I also always remember to be polite. I am so grateful to have my mom in my life and that I had the life that I have.