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I had already forgotten how hard it is to get a kid up in the early hours of the morning and get him ready. Those were hard long days during my last two years of high school that I sure don't miss.

And yet again, here I am at bloody six in the morning fighting this little devil's bad temper so I can get him to kindergarten before I head to school. It's not high school this time, no. It's college. When I found out about my pregnancy, I was shattered in more ways than one but what cost me the most was the knowledge that my dream to go to college and become a teacher would become impossible.

Well, impossible no more.

I did it. It may be four years later than normal but I still did it and I am so proud of myself. I will be able to show my baby boy that even as a teenage mother I didn't give up on my dream. That his existence encouraged me even more to be a good example to follow.

"Mommy, I don't want to go." He kicks the air with a huff and I roll my eyes at his attitude.

This boy of mine is not a morning kid I kid you not I have received a few hits from his tantrums in the past but I have been relentless in getting him to control his temper, to know it's not ok to hit someone and especially a girl or woman just because he is mad. And he's getting so much better but sometimes he acts without thinking.

Just like someone, I used to know...

"Dylan, what did I tell you about being aggressive just because you don't get what you want? What if you had hit me, huh?"

At my words, he sits up straight and looks at me wide-eyed. I know he does it without meaning to hurt anybody but still, he's too impulsive. I know exactly who he gets it from but I force myself to push those thoughts away.

"No, sorry mommy! I don't want to be bad but I am just so, so sleepy." He buries his head in my chest faking a sob.

Kids these days turn into professional manipulators by the age of five. Thank God I don't fall for it.

"If you had done as I told you to yesterday, you wouldn't be tired right now. Tonight, you'll go to bed earlier," he groans into my chest but makes no move to leave the bed or me. "Come on, let's get you ready. You have your first day of school today and we can't miss it."

"But I don't know anyone in this school." He tilts his head slightly to peek one eye at me.

It's so freaking hard to stay mad at that adorable face, I couldn't even if I wanted to.

"Don't be silly baby, you've spent the last two weeks playing with the next-door girl, Abby. She's your friend already and going to be in your class today."

Dylan straightens up and blushes slightly but keeps what should be a serious expression, one that I just find too cute to take seriously before answering me.

"But she's a girl. The boys will make fun of me for being friends with a girl." He crosses his arms over his chest and huffs.

I just laugh.

"Nonsense Dylan, what did I tell you about this kind of behaviours? Just because other boys like to be mean and take it out on girls it doesn't mean you have to be the same as them to be accepted. Because...?" I prolong the last word to let him finish.

"Because they are in the wrong. You don't hurt or hit girls, not even with a flower," he continues in a monotone voice.

Ever since he started having friends back at Nana's town, where we lived up until recently, I have been trying to teach him to not do what others do or tell him to just because it's cool and especially if it means treating girls poorly. I don't want my son to be a bully, be disrespectful or even worse...

We've moved up to this bigger city - Porto, in Portugal - when I was finally able to enrol into college and this fresh start was everything I had needed and never knew. It was hard at first to have Dylan accept the change but once we got settled and he got to know Abby things have been gradually easier.

I already found a job here, as a waitress in one of the diners downtown. They are flexible with schedules since they are used to hire students often and it couldn't have worked better because it's really close to where I have my classes.

When this opportunity arose Nana didn't even think twice to put her home for sale back in Évora, a small city in the south of the country, and buy one here to move with me and Dylan. Truth be told, I don't know where I would have been if it weren't for her. She stood by me when no one else did and for that, I am forever indebted to her.

"Exactly, and what do you do if other kids taunt you or hurt you?" I ask.

"I defend myself." He puffs his chest and I stifle a laugh; he tries to be tough but he's just too cute at my eyes.

"How so?" I push him, I want to hear him say the correct words.

I want my boy to be good but not too good. I don't want him to take shit from anyone.