If someone was to ask me what a person about to embark on single parenthood should prepare for (and people sometimes do ask me similar questions), I would say: Interruptions. The reality of a single parent’s life is that focusing on one task, or what you think you need to be doing at any one time is darn near impossible–every day is one interruption after another.
Now, this isn’t to say that living a life of interruptions is necessarily negative or “less than” living a more mellow and focused life, but it is the way things go when you’ve got two dozen balls in the air at any one time. The more kids you have, the more interruptions! In my own adventure as a single mom, you might imagine that having three children meant that a day seldom went by when I didn’t get a call at work to come pick someone up because they were sick, or a child asking me to bring a forgotten paper, or a teacher/principal wanting to discuss an “issue”–and this was just interruptions from the school! As a matter of fact, I felt such gratitude when a day passed without one of those calls that I can actually remember the joy of it years later.
There is only so much time in the day and with only one adult to handle all the responsibilities, duties, nurturing, caretaking, and tasks–you can bet there is going to be an a great deal of overlap. And, with the unpredictability of an ordinary life compounded by single parenthood, be prepared for interruptions. If you can actually get from the front door to the car without a cell phone ringing, someone having to return to the house for a forgotten item, or without injury or mishap–you are having a very blessed day indeed.
Also: Single Parent Trick–Get Up Earlier Than Everyone Else
Why We Can’t Do It All–Even If We Want To
Single Parents Simplify Your Evenings