When I had my cancer scare last year it was the last thing I expected. I was a young single mother who was now facing some pretty huge decisions. At first I fell apart, I was devastated at the thought of not being able to watch my son grow up. I wanted to be there on his first day of school. I wanted to be there when he learned to ride a bike for the first time. I wanted to watch him grow into the young man I knew he was meant to be. Instead, I had to face the fact that I might not have that option. I had to start facing decisions that were far beyond my years. If I had been married, things would have been different. I wouldn’t have had to face it alone. The thought of anyone else raising my son just didn’t seem right to me. No one could possibly love him as much as I did. The thought of him being solely with my ex husband was a scary thought for me because our values were so different. I didn’t know what to do.
As a single parent it is so important to think about these things. No parent wants to face the thought of not being able to watch their children grow up, but what if it happened? Would you be prepared? Have you written down your wishes for your children? At 22 years old I never thought I would have to face questions like these, but it can happen to anyone.
When you are single it is so important to take good care of yourself. We often get so busy with life that our annual check-ups fall the wayside. It doesn’t matter how healthy you are, they are important. You never know when something is going to creep up and catch you by surprise. Being prepared can help give you peace of mind and sometimes as a single parent, that’s the greatest gift of all.