My mom is my best friend, but she hasn’t always been (see, adolescent angst, years 15 through 18). That said, she has always been my greatest teacher and my fiercest inspiration. Here are 10 things I learned from her that I will never forget.

1- The best gifts are edible.
2-One of the best things in life is a good sleep. Never take the ability to sleep well for granted, it’s a gift.
3-Just show up.
4-The best boyfriends are the ones who feed you (this also applies to friends, bosses and in-laws).
5-Never trust a guy who is mean to his mother.
6-You can make soup out of pretty much anything.
7-Downsizing is good. Too much downsizing will leave you wondering where the hell all your stuff went. Downsize with caution.
8-Making friends with the library staff at your local public library is a really, really good idea.
9-Learn how to do your own taxes.
10-Don’t worry about bumping heads with your kids as they grow up. Eventually they become adults too, at which point they probably won’t care whether you let them wear low-rise jeans to school or spaghetti straps to the youth-club dance. They’ll just appreciate the fact that you knew them during their brattiest of years, and still managed to love them, support them, and protect them from what can be a pretty mean world.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who have loved us the most when we were hardest to love. There will never be a gift, a card, or spoils from a Mother’s Day contest that will ever fully reflect our gratitude.

Follow Zakiya on Twitter @zakkassam.