Chefs, chauffeurs, housekeepers, referees, hair stylists, nurses, therapists, best friends - moms do it all. Mother's Day is a great day to thank our moms for all they do, but there are still things mothers do that (almost go) completely unnoticed. Here are 15 things to thank your mom for:

1. Thank you for gently brushing my hair

Mom, you always knew how to be gentle with my wild hair while still getting the tangles out.

2. Thank you for singing me to sleep

Nothing soothed me more as a kid than listening to you sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Thank you for bringing peace into a room I always believed was filled with monsters.

3. Thank you for taking my side

You know how much I loved wrestling with Dad and my brothers, but I would still get upset five seconds later because they got too rough. You always took my side when I got mad at them. Thank you for letting me choose when I wanted to be tough and when I wanted to be sensitive.

4. Thank you for letting me make a mess

OK, so you made me clean my room a lot. But I was a messy kid, and you didn't throw a fit about it. Thank you for letting me have my own space, yet still teaching me to be responsible for cleaning up my messes.

5. Thank you for being my only steady friend when I was trying to find myself

You never asked questions when my friend Ashley stopped coming over. You never asked questions when I just wanted to spend my birthday with the family. Thank you for understanding how difficult those teenage years are, and for sticking with me when no one else would.

6. Thank you for letting me follow all the newest trends (even though you knew I'd look back with regret)

Scarves as belts. Need I say more? You didn't fight it, you just let me learn my own lessons. You have countless pictures of me with crimped hair and butterfly clips to bring up every time I'm about to make a bad decision, but you don't. Oh, but thank you for knowing where to draw the line and not letting me dye my hair pink.

7. Thank you for letting me watch my favorite movie over and over again

Nearly two decades later, you can still recite every line from Toy Story. Thank you for not letting Dad destroy the VHS, even though it drove you just as crazy.

8. Thank you for letting me take hours to go shopping for a pair of shoes

I always was the pickiest shopper. I had to try on 20 pairs of shoes before I eventually came back to the first pair I tried on. Thank you for doing everything you could to make me happy.

9. Thank you for having a curfew

I hated having a curfew. It was always embarrassing when I had to tell my friends I had to go home. Every once in a while, I broke your rule, hoping maybe you would have fallen asleep. That was never the case. You stayed up, unable to sleep until you knew your children were safe under your roof. Thank you for giving me rules that really just meant "I love you."

10. Thank you for not totally killing me when I crashed the car

Before I even knew where my hazard lights were, I was in my first car wreck. I was terrified to call you and Dad, but when I did, you only cared that I was all right. I know you were stressed about the finances, but you didn't talk about that. Thank you for letting me be a kid even when I messed up.

11. Thank you for leaving me at college before I was ready for you to leave

You dropped me off at college, and while other parents stayed, you gave me a hug and left, doing your best not to let me see you cry. (I watched you wipe your cheeks as you walked away.) Every other parent overstayed their welcome, except for you. Thank you for answering your phone five minutes later because I already missed you.

12. Thank you for not saying "I told you so" when that boy broke my heart

He was no good for me. You and I both knew he wasn't. You tried to warn me as gently and lovingly as you could, and I never listened. So when the inevitable finally came, you didn't rub it in my face. You let me cry and you let me heal in my own time. Thank you for listening to me, even when I didn't listen to you.

13. Thank you for always being available for me to talk to

Sometimes I didn't want to talk to you. Whenever that was the case, you let me be. You were patient, knowing eventually I would be ready to talk to you. And when I was, you were there.

14. Thank you for never complaining to me about what a difficult baby I was

I mean, you definitely have a few stories you love to share but even as you tell these stories, you tell them with a smile and laugh. And now, with my own baby, you let me complain about the difficulties new motherhood can bring. Thank you for never making me feel guilty about needing your love.

15. Thank you for loving me every single day

Thank you for loving me before you had even met me. Thank you for embarrassing me unceasingly. Thank you for giving me an incredible example of what I want to be when I grow up.

This Mother's Day (and every day), take time to tell your mom how much you love her.