Being a single parent has so many challenges. There is only one of you so you must shoulder the responsibility of being both a mother and a father the majority of the time. Let’s face it…mothers and fathers have their special places in the lives of their children. They are both very important in a child’s life.
My Challenge
One of the challenges of my earlier single parenting days was the public bathroom. I lived in fear of it. If you are a mom with daughters, there is no problem. If you are a dad with sons, there is no problem. What if you are a mom with sons or a dad with daughters? This is wherein the problem lies.
With all of the horrific stories you hear about child molesters you must be careful with your child. You, yourself probably hate to use a public bathroom. I know that I do, but if I must, well then, I must. However, letting your child in to a public bathroom by themselves is a terrifying thought. It is not a problem up until about the age of five, and then you start getting “The Look.” This will happen sooner if you have a child that is large for their age. You do not want to send them in there alone. They are so little and innocent, but you hate, “The Look.” “Why do people have to be so unsympathetic?”, you wonder. They can see that you have a situation and that you are the only parent. Would they send their child into the bathroom alone? Thinking that I was being overprotective, I decided to let him go in alone one day. The minutes that I waited, craning my neck to look in every time the bathroom door opened by someone else, were the longest minutes of my life. At one point tears welled up into my eyes and I opened the bathroom door and starting calling his name just to make sure that he was okay. Although it was a matter of minutes, it seemed like an eternity. It was something that I truly regretted doing and I never did it again until he was a bit older.
My Solution
My solution turned out to be a new attitude. I never let him go in a public bathroom alone again until he was a bit older and when we were both more comfortable with the situation. I decided that day, right then and there, that I will never let “The Look” intimidate me again. This was my child, not theirs. If they felt comfortable letting their child go into a public restroom alone then that was their choice. If they were uncomfortable with him being in the bathroom then they could leave, but I was going anywhere until he did what he had to do.
People do not understand the stresses involved in being a single parent unless they are in the situation themselves, but their lack of understanding is not my concern. My child is the most precious thing in my life and I will make decisions based on his well-being and not what other people think.
Angel Lynn writes in weight loss and single parenting