A hero can be described in many different ways. Often times, superheroes are the common idea of heroes. Typical character traits of a hero include bravery, strength, selflessness, confidence, and patience. I believe my mother possesses each of these characteristics. She is thirty-four years old, and she is raising me as a single mother. She works numerous jobs; she embraces responsibility. Laci is strong, courageous, and confident; she is my mother and my hero.

Throughout my mother’s life, she has always been independent, which heavily impacts how strong she is. She grew up without stability. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old, and she and her mother moved to New Orleans, Louisiana from Dallas, Texas. She struggled with the divorce because her father remarried, and she gained six step siblings, but she maintained a positive attitude despite unfair treatment from her father and stepmother. At the age of fourteen years old, her mother sent her back to Dallas to live with her older sister. Two years later, she got pregnant and took on the responsibility of raising a child at sixteen. I know this was not easy for her, but she had the strength to pull through this hardship at that time in her life. For these reasons and many others, my mother is very strong, and this quality makes her my hero.

My mother has also taken on many things in life that emphasize her outstanding courage. Like I previously mentioned, my mother had me at sixteen, and that not only shows her strength but also shows her great courage. Taking on that responsibility required her to put my life before her own. She decided to move back to New Orleans when I was one year old because she knew it was best for us. She got a job, and began to work from nine to five in order to take care of me. When I was ready for school, she enrolled me into a private grammar school where she had to pay tuition as well as other bills. Later, she went back to school and got her real estate license so that she could make enough money provide a good education for me. I know that there is fear behind each decision she makes, but she always does what she believes is best despite this; that is what makes my mother courageous.

My mother has gained confidence as she has gotten older. When she was younger, I do not believe she thought highly of herself. She changed schools many times throughout her life; there were even times she changed schools in the middle of the school year. It was very difficult for her to make and keep friends because of this. However, as she grew up, she gained confidence along the way. Today, my mother is the most confident person I know. There is not a thing she will not try, and she is never worried about if she will fail. For example, she has her real estate license, and she is actively a real estate agent. She has the confidence to put herself out there to find clients. I believe the hardships she overcame allowed her to find self-worth and made her confident that there is not anything she cannot overcome.

My mother is my hero because she is strong, courageous, and confident. Her strength stems from her independence. The way she handles hardships she faced in her life makes her strong. Her courage is shown by the way she makes sacrifices for me despite the fears she might have. She is courageous because she always does what she thinks is best no matter what the consequences are. She knows her worth, which brings her great confidence. She is confident because she believes in herself. She embodies all of the heroic qualities I wish to possess; my mother is my hero.