This is What Happens When you Parent Alone
Posted by Dr. Cason on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
To all those parents doing it alone-my hat is off to you. Nay, I bow down and…and…Oh I don’t know what I do. All I know is that it’s hard and I can’t believe there are people who do this every day. With no breaks. For the next week, I’m a single working mommy to three kids 5 and under. You want to know how I am doing so far…
- Last night’s dirty dishes are now cuddled next to tonight’s dirty dishes.
- I’m sitting on clean laundry.
- Yes I’m that lazy.
- There’s a dropped pear on the floor.
- I’m terribly underestimating the time it takes to do things.
- I’m missing the glass of wine at dinner.
- And the coffee at breakfast.
- Today I drank a diet coke instead.
- Yes…A doctor drank. A diet Coke. For breakfast.
- I’m eating standing up.
- I’m multitasking more.
- And getting less done.
- I miss you Honey.
- You need to come home.
- It’s your turn to do the dishes.
Filed in My Life | 12 responses so far
Kathleenon 21 Oct 2008 at 10:02 am 1I did it for about 20 years (after my divorce) while my two sons grew up. You just learn how to balance things, and yet make sure the quality time is there for your children. I look back now and think how very well-disciplined and organized I was then – now that is a different story.
Kathleens last blog post..TOM II Dead at Age 17 – RIP My Beautiful Boy!
Nikkion 21 Oct 2008 at 11:45 am 2You should get a dishwasher… it makes everything better. Everything!
Evelyn Limon 21 Oct 2008 at 1:18 pm 3I laughed as I neared the end of your list. I can hardly cope with two kids. I am not sure that I can function well if I have to take care of more. All the best to your next one week!!
Patriciaon 21 Oct 2008 at 1:49 pm 4It is hard to go singly on the parenting journey…my sister in law counted all the diapers she changed and when her husband came home from his journey he took over, when he had changed that many diapers, they took a night out together – it was a fun game to get through it all.
When my husband was teaching college in another state during the week and home on weekends, I hired a high school student to come for 2 hours everyday, while I fixed dinner….she stayed on for 1 afternoon a week after that year was over and the kids were all in school – sometimes I took a bath! or read! or caught up on something that got left behind….even though I was working that 2 hours was so important.
Then again, they are just dishes and laundry and the kids will only be this fun and dependent for a short time….it’s only a week….finger paint welcome home signs…he will not even notice the disarray for the joy!
Patricias last blog post..Look Boss! De Wall! De Wall!
tiffon 21 Oct 2008 at 2:45 pm 5LOL, Sheila, I had a good chuckle at the last line.
I don’t do dishes. At all.
I told David, my then fiance this and he said that it was okay, he didn’t scrub toilets!
Imagine, if I were a single parent, how those dishes would pile up and if he were a single parent how disgusting the toilet would be.
Sometimes on busy days in this house, I eat breakfast for lunch and I always have to share!
tiffs last blog post..A piece of him
Kristinon 21 Oct 2008 at 2:51 pm 6That list is so funny to me, a woman without children, because when my husband goes away, this happens to me. It’s like I don’t have any reason to keep the house tidy because no one is coming home.
However, I love to do dishes. I own a dishwasher and never use it. Filling up a sink full of hot soapy water is my little mediation time.
I do hope you are enjoying the time though.
Kristins last blog post..The learning never ends
Kylaon 21 Oct 2008 at 11:37 pm 7Ha! That sounds just like me when Josh is gone, except it is always his turn to do dishes. (He does dishes, I do laundry)
Kylas last blog post..Let’s just pretend it is (wordless) Wednesday.
Jadenon 22 Oct 2008 at 12:43 am 8I have to agree on the dishwasher front. I bought a portable one off of craigslist for 75 bucks about a month ago, and trust me, my house has been MUCH cleaner for the past few weeks! It really gives you a LOT more time to address the other issues… er…. pears… er… laundry. You know what I mean.
Enjoy your special time with the kids!
Jadens last blog post..Totally Her- Cool New Website and CONTEST
Melissa Lagerquiston 22 Oct 2008 at 1:48 am 9Diet Coke…breakfast of champions! I love coffee, but usually only have it on the weekends when I can sit and enjoy it with my husband. Otherwise, if I need a little morning pick-me-up, it’s a Diet Coke!
My non-Navy friends make the same kind of comments to me when their husbands are gone for a few days. They don’t know how I do it for extended periods of time all alone. I tell them that at least I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A single parent has no light…it’s just a long, long, dark tunnel. They deserve a lot of credit!
kcinnovaon 22 Oct 2008 at 8:35 am 10Yes, the house falls apart when SuperDad is TDY (like he is this week, and again next week). As Melissa above says, diet coke=breakfast of champions! *grin* Actually, the point she made, as did you and many others that we have “a light at the end of the tunnel. A single parent has no light…it’s just a long, long, dark tunnel. They deserve a lot of credit!” Knowing some single parents helped me to not feel too badly when my dh was deployed. Even though I only talked to him on the phone once every 2 weeks, at least I knew he existed and God willing, would return home again in a year.
kcinnovas last blog post..WWC #57: Plain and Adorned
Dr. Casonon 22 Oct 2008 at 9:26 pm 11It’s getting better all!
The pear has been picked up. The dishes are done.
The laundry is getting folded.
The toys are still outside in the hallway.
Buy acai berryon 23 May 2009 at 5:57 am 12Your blog is very interresting for me, i will come back here..