If I had the chance to step into someone else’s shoes for a day, I wouldn’t choose a celebrity, a historical figure, or a world leader. Instead, I would go back in time and be my mum as a child—born in Italy, making the journey to a new country as a teenager, and facing the hardships that shaped the strong woman she is today.

My mum has always shared bits and pieces of her childhood with me. I know it wasn’t easy. She’s mentioned the struggles of growing up with little, of feeling like an outsider, of navigating a new language and culture while still holding on to the traditions of her homeland. But stories only go so far. To truly understand what she went through, I would love to be there—to see what she saw, feel what she felt, and experience the world through her young eyes.

I imagine her as a little girl in Italy, running through the streets of her small town, speaking in her native tongue, surrounded by the sights and smells of home. I picture the long days, the responsibilities placed on her shoulders far too soon, and the moments of joy she managed to find in between. Then, the move—the overwhelming transition to a new country, unfamiliar faces, and the pressure to adapt while still holding onto who she was.

I think living that day would explain so much about why she is the way she is. Her resilience, her selflessness, her drive to give me a better life than the one she had—it all comes from those years. She’s always been strong, but I know that strength was built through struggle.

If I could be her for a day, I wouldn’t do it out of curiosity alone. I would do it to appreciate her more, to truly understand her journey, and to carry that understanding with me in the way I love and support her now. Because sometimes, we don’t realize just how much our parents have endured until we step into their world—even if just for a moment.

Daily writing prompt

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

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