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The single parent....not for faint of heart

Being a single parent, never thought it would be me, yet here I sit in the throws of, (for all intense purposes), (the last 8 months and a few more I, feel sure.) single parenthood. This evening as I look around my home, my children all in their place. My eldest up late finishing up some college homework, my younger two fast asleep as they have to rise early and begin the morning rush of tiding up and getting ready for school before sunrise  I'll make them a bowl of warm oatmeal, give them their vitamins and hot tea with honey, fuss with them to hurry, so much to do, finish breakfast, walk the beagle, grab backpacks, heavy coats, scarfs, hats and gloves and rush out the door to the bus stop. I realize just how much work it is for one parent, how draining it can be, the sheer toll it can take, many days I've come home from work, exhausted, wishing so badly I could just fall in to bed and sleep for twelve hours. Being a single parent doesn't allow for exhausted days, it doesn't allow you to take a break and crawl into your warm cozy bed that you've been waiting to get into from the moment you opened your eyelids. You have to keep going, there are activities to be driven to and picked up from, homework, dinner, cleaning up and on the list goes until it's quite late by the time you finally get to fall into that warm soft fluffy bed, you've been waiting for all day long to climb in to. I'm proud of myself don't get me wrong, I don't always feel pride, some days all I want to do is sleep or cry, or both. it's hard work being alone and raising kids as a single parent. but it's also rewarding, sitting around the table talking, telling stories or just laughing with each other, piling on the couch to watch movies in front of the warm fire on a cold winter night. Bundling up in layers of clothes (that's not very fun) taking an evening stroll around the neighborhood with the beagle in tow. Those moments, those times are special, they get me through the rough days and lonely nights. I only have to be a single parent for a few more months, my single parenthood is coming to a close, I've only had a glimpse into the single life of a mother, my hats off to all you moms out there doing it alone, kudos to you, may God bless you. May you find strength in him to get you through those hard days and may you find such sweet rewards with those amazing human beings you are raising. Be proud of the job you are doing, and be blessed for you are raising the next generation. 

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