This is a post dedicated to all the single parents I've ever encountered. Or even the ones I haven't actually met. Or the people who have been single parents at one time but aren't any longer. OK, so this post is a shout out to single parents everywhere. Yeah. That should do it.
I am a single parent. Not by choice, mind you, but that's not really the point of this post. I am parenting solo. By myself. Alone.
And it really sucks.
Parenting in any situation is a thankless job. Kids are selfish little punks by nature and looking for recognition and thanks from them is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. It ain't gonna happen! Day and night, year after year, we nurture, feed, teach, shelter, and love those brats and get nothing in return. We drive them to their activities, sit in the (hard) bleachers for hours on end, bake cookies at midnight for last minute parties, and stay up all night watching over fevers and barfers. And let's not even start with the incredible amount of worrying we do. All parents, single or not, spend crazy amounts of time worrying about their kids. And the ingrates don't even care. It's a thankless job, I tell you, truly thankless.
But to take on the responsibilities of this job by yourself, well, that's just a whole 'nother story.
Take my Tuesday for example: I got up at 5:30, made coffee, packed lunches, got myself ready for work, started a load of laundry, started the fire, fed the cats and dog, fed the chickens, and got something out of the freezer thawing for tonight's dinner. Then I got the kids up, fed them, oversaw backpacks and lunches and football/dance bags, and was out the door at 7:15. Then I worked all day. Took #4 to dance in Stayton, went for a run whilst waiting for dance to end, stopped at #3's parent/teacher conference, fielded 4 phone calls along the way, and finally made it home for dinner (the dinner that I thawed out this morning) around 7:30. Dishes, laundry, homework, fed animals, hunted for missing chicken, packed lunches for tomorrow, and did a general tidy up of the house. Practiced spelling words with #4, braided #4's hair to keep it tangle-free to prevent morning tears, checked with #3's homework which then yielded the request for a load of laundry to be washed in time for a football game tomorrow, listened to #1's activities for the day, found #2 and heard about his day and his plans for tomorrow, and then took a shower. Transferred the laundry, hauled in wood, folded laundry, and then got into bed. Remembered that I forgot to sign some school papers and pay the VISA bill. And then remembered that I forgot to call about an insurance issue and an IRA issue. Which then made me panic about money. Naturally I was unable to sleep and my stomach started hurting in response to my anxiety. And then my alarm went off and it all started over again.
Single parenting is definitely NOT for the faint-hearted or weak.
So I just want to say to all single parents that I appreciate your hard work and understand the unique struggles and pressures that you face. Holding the responsibilities of a family on singular shoulders is very hard and thankless. There is no one to share both the difficulties and joys of life with. Constantly making decisions, big or small, is exhausting and confusing. Opportunities for fun and leisure are few and far between. There is always, always something on the sidelines waiting to be dealt with. There is no break.
But know that I see your efforts and feel your exhaustion. Know that you can call on me anytime and I will help you however I can. Many hands make for light work. Don't forget that.
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