Essay:

Believe it or not, I can only remember my mom saying "I love you" to me once in my life. I know this fact is not because she does not love me; it is solely because of her lack of emotion. On top of that, I don't think I have ever seen my mom cry. I don't doubt that she has cried in my nineteen years of life, but if she has, I would have never known it. This is incredible to me. I am probably one of the most emotional people you will meet. This is most likely due to the fact that my mom is just the opposite. I learned at an early age that saying "I love you" to someone is important. It is sad, but I only learned this through my lack of hearing it myself. I believe that when you love someone, you should tell them every chance you get. For all you know, this could be the last chance you get to tell that person how you feel. Just because the other person may know how you feel it does not mean that you should stop telling him or her. I know my mother loves me with all her heart but to not hear her say those words is often heart-breaking. My mom also lacks any form of emotion, where-as I, on the other hand, am full of it. It was most likely my mom's lack of emotion that taught me to be emotional. Taking the guard of your heart down is one thing that many women struggle with, my mom especially. I have learned that taking the guard down and showing your true feelings and ignoring the high-stakes that may be involved is often the best thing you can do for yourself. I know that there will never come a day where I realize how much I regret not saying something. Since I was old enough to realize my mom's problem and how much it hurt me, I have tried my hardest to prevent that problem from occurring in my own life. I may seem like I am bashing my mom for what she is but that is not true. I respect my mom for being such a strong woman- the strongest I know. There may have been something that happened to her to create this guard that I do not know about. I know that letting the guard down in my heart has helped me to become strong, but in a different way than my mom. I am strong enough to look someone in the eye and tell them how I feel without being ashamed, no matter if how I feel is good or bad. I believe in letting your guard down. Others may say that this creates weakness but I know this is not true. Saying how you feel, especially if it is "I love you" can be one of the hardest things you will ever do. This lesson I learned from my mom, she is why I believe in letting the guard down to say "I love you". Those three words can have a colossal impact on someone's life. I will never forget to say "I love you" like my mom did, it is just too important to forget. The lack of hearing those words shaped me into who I am, however I believe hearing "I love you", especially by your parents, is too important to just leave out.