When someone asks you who your hero is who do you immediately think of? Do you think of a hero like Hercules or do you think of someone that is closer to your heart? When someone asks me “Sydney who is your hero”, I automatically think of my mom. I know people are like why your mom? Well for one my mom has been through a lot and for that I think she is brave, smart, clam, and knowledgeable. For as long as I can remember she has always been there for me and my family.

My mom was born on December 27, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia. A couple years later her sister, Katrina, was born. When my mom was young they moved all around the U.S. Then before my mom started high school they moved to Mobile, Alabama were my mom met my dad. A year later they were married and started their life together. My oldest brother Matt was born three years later. Then came my other brother Mark, who is also three years older than me. I was born, and then our family was complete.

Once when I was talking to my mom she had told me she had saved a life. I asked her what happened, so this is what she told me. She said one day during the summer when she was 14, she and her mom were home alone eating lunch. They had acquired fresh shellfish and had cooked them to eat. My mom said that she was enjoying her meal until her mom started to cough and gag, like choking noises. Her mom’s throat was closing up and she couldn’t breathe. “That was probably was one of the scariest moments in my life, watching your mom almost die like that.” Then being the brave person my mom is, she drove her mom to the hospital. She was only fourteen at the time and barley knew how to drive. Hearing about my mom doing something like that she amazes you that someone you know and love could do that.

When you are a little kid and you hear someone talking about a string hero, do you think of those men that run around in tights and a cape? When I was little I know I did, but now that I am older and my views on a hero have been expanded and changed. When I think of a strong hero now, I think of someone who is strong in more than just the buff kind of strong. My mom was strong enough to support her and my dad when they first got married, she did things that helped the family and saved them. She was strong enough to have, and raise, 3 kids. “I would have had more children, I love my kids, but I just got to old!” She still is to this day with one in college and the other two in high school. She was so strong in heart and mind, that she was able to stay and not run when things got bad. My mom is strong in so many ways it is unbelievable to think that she can do these kinds of things.

In a way you can say my mom is like Odysseus, she is smart, cunning, and clever. When something big happens to Odysseus he just uses his wit and clever to find a way to deal with it or get out of it. In a way you can say that my mom is like that. Whenever one of needs help or asks her a question, she just knows the answer. She helps us with projects and everyday things. To us it is like she just has a never-ending stream of knowledge in her head.

When something big or terrible happens to you your general reaction is to freak out or get scared. One time my oldest brother, Matt, called from Crawfordsville and said that he needed to get surgery. He wanted my mom to come down and bring him some of his things. When she got off the phone she told me she had to go, and she told me why. She went upstairs and got his stuff say goodbye and left. Never once during that whole conversation did she get scared or did she freak, she actually made a joke out of it. “Whenever your dad is out of town something bad always happens.” That just goes to show it that my mom is calm and collected when something is thrown her way.

So when someone asks you your hero is now, do you have a bit of better insight of what a hero could and can be? A hero can be anybody you want it to be. Someone who has an impact on your life or someone you love. My mom is my hero in more ways than I can explain, and she has impacted my life in significant ways. To me a hero is someone who is brave, strong, calm, and knowledgeable, like my mom.