Being a Mom

I am a single mother because my daughter's father passed away before I knew I was even pregnant. I will have to explain to her that her father chose to drink and drive and it cost him his life.

Being a PARENT is a 24/7 responsibility. I wake up around 5 AM every day because that is when my daughter wakes up. I take her to every 8 AM doctor's appointment, I feed her, clothe her, change her, cuddle her, I will potty train her, teach her everything she needs to learn and I do it all by myself. I go to work around 1 PM and leave her with my parents, who gratefully watch her for me. I don't get home till long after she has gone to bed. I will probably miss watching her take her first steps, speak her first word, and many other first because I HAVE to work to support her. I miss her every minute I am at work but it is for her future that I sacrifice now. My world revolves around her and She is what keeps me going. Oh but this road of being a single mother is lonely.

Now being a parent is extremely difficult but oh so rewarding. Being a single parent is just a little harder because you are doing it by yourself and it is very isolating. Being a parent is exhausting, emotionally and physically. It is worth every second of lost sleep, every diaper change in the middle of night, and every midnight feeding. It is worth it when your little one looks at you and smiles, when they get excited because you walked into the room, when the get upset because you left them alone( but just for a second), it's worth it when they want your cuddles and fall asleep on your lap and everything else goes on the back burner for a while. (Nothing is more important in that moment than those cuddles.)

I have lost friends because I choose to spend my free time with my daughter. I would be happy to hang out over a cup of coffee and chat but she has to come too. I already sacrifice so much time with her because of work. I don't go out and party anymore and that is a big reason why most of my so called friends disappeared. My priorities changed the minute I knew I was pregnant. My priorities changed because my world changed. I made the necessary changes to allow me to stay financially stable and provide for my daughter without stressing about it. That means I gave up a lot, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

It is extremely difficult to make friends as a single mother because you don't have time to socialize. You can't get coffee at the drop of hat, you when to plan and organize. And 90 percent of the time you will be too tired anyways. You miss phone calls, you are buried under a pile of laundry and bills, and your up to your ears in dirty diapers. You want so bad to just be normal for a day but the second you try you miss your baby. And that is ok.

I will raise my daughter to the best of my ability without complaint that I am doing it alone. I will not use that as an excuse for anything. I will raise her to be kind and compassionate, and with the mind set she is capable of anything she puts her mind to. My daughter will not have any excuses when she is an adult for a poor attitude in life. She will be taught that she must work for what she wants and that nothing is free. I will not use a tablet or TV time to get a few minutes of quiet time. Her screen time will be limited. I will be there to entertain her, play with her, and use each and everything moment I have to teach her about the world around her.

My daughter is my saving grace and I wouldn't change being her mom for anything.