Dear Girls,

If at any point in your life you end up on a stage accepting an award and being watched by a world-wide audience of millions, don’t forget to remember to thank the woman who made it all possible.

That’s me, in case you are wondering.

Yes me, the woman who endured nine months of dehydrating vomiting, followed by excruciating labour and let’s not even talk about those first sleep-deprived years.

The woman who went into debt to pay for flute, clarinet, drama, singing lessons – even when we had no idea if you had an iota of talent. Talk about faith!

The woman who spent YEARS sitting in her car waiting for your assorted activities to end.

The woman who put up with every tantrum throwing, eye-rolling, uncommunicative moment of your adolescence with a stoic dignity (OK there may have been a few moments of screaming retaliation but the world doesn’t need to know about those).

In case you are confused about what you should say let’s all remember when Jared Leto won Best Supporting Actor at the 2014 Oscars

In 1971, in Bossier City Louisiana, there was a teenage girl who was pregnant with her second child. She was a high school dropout and a single mom, but somehow she managed to make a better life for herself and her children. She encouraged her kids to be creative and work hard and do something special. That girl was my mother and she’s here tonight. I just want to say ‘I love you mom, thank you for teaching me to dream.’