I am sure that you already love your mother and treasure her for everything that she did for you, but did you know that she has secrets, too? Below I will share with you 10 secrets that mothers usually keep away from their kids – no matter how young and old they are – and these are secrets that might bring some tears to your eyes. One thing is clear, though: you need to know then and after reading them, you’ll probably need to go tell your mother how much you love her.

1. You hurt her A LOT
It hurt when you yelled at her. It hurt when you pushed her away when she wanted a hug. It hurt when you pulled her hair or when you bit her nipples when she breastfed you. It hurt when you refused to talk to her for a few hours and it hurt even more when you told her: “I don’t love you”. It hurt when you got into a fight and it hurt even more when you were helpless in a tough situation. But she never told you because she loves you.

2. You made her cry A LOT
She cried when she saw you crying because there’s nothing worse for a mother than seeing their own child suffer. She cried when she was scared because you didn’t answer your phone one night, but she also cried with joy. She cried when she found out she is pregnant and she cried the first time she saw you. And she still cries every now and then simply because she loves you so much.

3. She was often scared
She got scared when she got pregnant and she was scared for the whole 9 months while she carried you. She was scared like crazy when she gave birth to you and she’s always scared that she’s not good enough for you. She was afraid you’re not eating well or you’re not getting enough sleep and she always was up all night waiting for you to return safely from your night out. She was scared when you first got sick and it never got easier. She was often scared because she loves you.

4. She was always tired
Ever since she gave birth to you, she never got a good night’s sleep. During the first couple of years, she would always wake up every few hours because you woke up too. She had to wake up before you did to prepare breakfast and she always had to stay awake way longer than you did to clean up your mess and to put everything in order. She couldn’t sleep when you were out, she couldn’t sleep when you were sick and every now and then she couldn’t sleep because she was there by your bedside, getting her heart filled with joy by watching your beautiful face while you were sleeping.

That last cookie she gave – she wanted to eat it herself, but couldn’t do it knowing that you want it too. The best bite of that amazing sandwich? She wanted to take her, but she saw you looking at it with those big, lovely eyes. That last potato chip in the bag when you are watching a movie? She always wants it, but she loves you too much not to let you have it.

6. She didn’t take a shower for days
After you were born, she had no time for herself, not even to take a shower. It would be days that she’d spend wearing the same clothes, maybe a couple of weeks before she finally washed her hair. But she always kept you clean and bathed you and gave you new clothes. Because you matter the most to her!

7. She carried you way longer than she should’ve
At first, it was easy for her to carry you because you didn’t weight much. But as you grew older, she kept carrying you. She held you in her arms while she was doing some cooking, while she was trying to clean the house, she held you wrapped around her neck when she was drinking and no matter how heavy you were getting and how huge the pain in her arms was, she never put you down. Because, even though every single bone and muscle of her body hurt, she loved carrying you!

8. She knows she has failed you
That moment when she dressed up like a hippie and your friends considered her insane? She was just trying to blend in and be funny, but she knows that she failed. She knows that she isn’t perfect and that she had her fair share of mistakes. She knows that she has failed you and always wishes that she could go back in time to fix those mistakes. She knows that she acted stupid sometimes or failed to be there for you on some occasions. But she always wanted to make you proud. She always wanted to help you – and that hurts the most: knowing that she couldn’t!

9. You really matter the most
She never really cared that she came back home tired, that she was feeling miserable and she hadn’t taken a shower for days, that her hair was a mess and her clothes had food stains all over: you were always her top priority because you are the one who matters the most. You were always first, she always took care of you first, even though she was exhausted and wanted (and knew that she deserved!) some time off.

10. But she would do it all over again
It was difficult, it was painful, it was exhausting and frustrating, it was even horrible at times, but that doesn’t matter at all for her. She would do it all over again without even thinking about it because despite all the secrets that she holds, despite all the disappointments and failures, she loves you like crazy and seeing you happy, seeing you laugh – that beats everything and gives her power to go on. Because she’s your mother. Because she loves you!

So maybe now it’s the time to thank your mother. Share this article, tag your mother in it and tell her that you love her. She deserves to hear that as often as possible!