my mothers daughter

dear mother,

you have indeed gotten the daughter you always wanted.  when you said, "i really only ever asked for one daughter and i wanted her to be like me", i don't think you knew exactly how much i'd be like you. did you know that i would obsessively clean my room when i'm stressed and need to put something off? did you know that your hate for confrontation and saying no would pass on to me and cause me to freak out whenever noah asked if we could eat out an extra night just like you used to? was your compulsivity while wearing itchy clothes or shirts that need constant adjustment just a funny coincidence that i picked up on?  maybe the way i shake out my shirts before i wear them is something i picked up from watching you, but did you know that the little habits of taking a sip between every bite of food would be instilled in my habits too?  even if you did, i love you for it and i love that you have encoded me for obsessively watching TV series with you and craving a late night snack of popcorn and peanut M&Ms. because every day i think to myself, 'i'm just like my mother'. and there's no one else i'd like to be like.

remember when you had long hair too?

hopefully you saw this as more of an joyful ode than a reveal of habits :)