Some days I want to run away. I’m tired of being unappreciated. I’m tired of being the one who is the mean parent because Hailey is my responsibility 24/7. I’m tired of being the one who seems to say no more than yes. I’m tired of not being able to be the fun parent because I’m too busy working, making dinner, doing laundry, wiping noses, checking homework and worrying to have much time for fun. Does every single mother feel this way? I think we all do, there isn’t anything unique about my situation. I’m the full time parent, even … Continue reading →

If you could turn back time what would you change? I’ve thought about this a lot. How many times have you wished you could do things over, make different choices? It makes me sad that I wasn’t married once, for the rest of my life, I wish I had made better choices. When I see how much value my home has lost and how upside down I am in it I wish I could go back and undo that choice. I wish I had gone to college, had more children, written a novel, been a better mother, sister, friend. So … Continue reading →

From the moment your first child is born it seems that you are now started on a life of worry. You watch your child sleep and you can’t help but think what life would be like if something happened to them. As parents we worry about everything. When you become a single parent the worry increases. Now, added to the normal worries of every parent, you are plagued with worry about how your choices are going to affect your child. It’s normal to worry about your kids but too much worry is counterproductive. It takes you out of the enjoyment … Continue reading →

I recently met a woman at the gym and we’ve become gym buddies. Last week after our Zumba class we were in the parking lot talking. She knows I’m a single mother and she confided in me that she is thinking of asking her husband for a divorce. I told her I was sorry and asked what the problem was, her answer? He drives a truck for a living and is gone most of the time, she is tired of him never being home. I took her out to coffee and we talked more. Her stance on single parenthood is … Continue reading →

One thing you hear a lot as a single parent is, “ I don’t know how you do it.” My answer is always, you would be surprised what you can do when you have to. When it first became apparent that divorce might not be just something that happened to other people, I started looking at my options. I remember crying because the only place I could afford to live was a place I wouldn’t live. I decided right then I need to make some changes in my life. I had always believed that my income was “extra”, my husband … Continue reading →

Is your child’s birthday one more day that you dread because you have to figure out how to share it with your ex? When I was first divorced Hailey’s birthday loomed over me like a dark cloud. I didn’t want it to be one more holiday that she would have to split between mom and dad’s house. That first birthday after the divorce was hard. Hailey was sad, her family was glaringly divided. After that year I decided never again. I wanted Hailey’s birthday to be a celebration for and about her. So I called my ex husband and hashed … Continue reading →

Feelings of inadequacy are so common when you are a single parent. When I first got divorced I tried to hard to do everything, be the perfect employee, the perfect mother, keep a beautiful house, and be a combination of Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart. I failed miserably. Some days were just so hard. If I was at work I was thinking about Hailey, how was she adjusting to the divorce? Was she going to be ok? Did I do the right thing? When I was home I worried that I wasn’t giving my job 100%, I needed that job … Continue reading →