Taylor Swift & Her Mom Share A Sweet ACM Moment

Any of the haters questioning Taylor Swift's attendance at the 2015 ACM Awards should look no further than the awesome tribute which was bestowed upon her on Sunday night. Swift's Milestone Award was preceded by a montage of her most memorable career moments, from her humble beginnings as a teenage songwriter and country crooner, to the international fame and fandom she is known for today. Swift's mother, Andrea Finlay, presented her with the Milestone Award and I'm not even going to deny it — I got a little choked up watching Finlay tearfully speak of the pride she felt watching her daughter face adversity during her teenage years, when she "was a girl with very few friends" and growing into "a young woman with very many friends." She also offered some anecdotes about disapproving of a certain boyfriend Swift had that resulted in Swift storming up into her room, leaving the door shut for an hour, and exiting feeling much better after penning a little track we now know as "Love Story."

Upon accepting her award — and giving her proud mom a BIG hug — the always well-spoken Swift was the quintessence of kindness and humility. She took the opportunity to address her creative exit from the country music genre when she decided to release a pop album, which we now fondly know as 1989. During her speech, Swift thanked her country peers for their support of her career change, and how people "show you who they truly are" when telling them something they may not necessarily want to hear.

"To the country music community, when I told you that I had made a pop album and that I wanted to go explore other genres, you showed me who you are with the grace that you accepted that with," she said. "I will never forget it."

Congratulations to Swift for her much deserved honor! I think it's about time for me to partake in another binge listening session of 1989.