From one single parent to another...

This post is dedicated to all the single parents out there. Life is not easy. And as a single parent it is downright impossible sometimes.

Being a mom is hard.

But being a single parent really takes the cake.

It is staying up late and waking up early.

It is caring for boo-boos and disciplining to make sure the right choices are being made.

It is being the fun sucker and laying down the law.

It is giving the kisses and hugs and snuggles and being there no matter what.

It is knowing that no matter how hard you try to be fun there’s never enough time to really be fun.

Because there is laundry and dishes and bills and groceries and work and schoolwork. Because I have to make sure that their schoolwork is ready and their lunches are made and their breakfasts are made.

It is making sure the clothes are clean, the groceries are bought, and the light bill is paid.

It is sweeping the floor daily so they don’t step on anything sharp, because somehow, even though we are busy at work and school, the house gets dirty with no effort!

It’s balancing the budget and going without so they can have those special snacks they like. lt's seeing your kids going away with their father for two days and then being sad without them, like a part of you is being ripped away from you.

It’s dropping them off at seven in the morning so that you can get to work on time, and then not picking them up until after six in the evening and having only a couple of hours before bed.

It’s listening to them tell you, "mommy we miss you; we don’t feel like we get to spend much time with you." And then crying yourself to sleep because you miss them too but have to be strong and resilient for them.

It’s knowing that no matter how hard you try, it’s never gonna be enough in your own eyes. And knowing you are always going to worry about them. It's always knowing that they are going to have missed you because you spent so much of your life in the background making sure that they’re safe and comfortable--with food to eat and a safe place to live and clean clothes to wear. It's hoping that one day they will understand--it wasn't that you didn't want to hang out with them--it was because you LOVED them so damn much.

It’s sacrificing things that you want for yourself because you want what’s best for the kids.

I don’t want to get remarried-- I don’t want to put my kids through what I went through as a child; I don’t want them to feel for a moment that their mother might like another person more than them.

It's not wanting them to feel for a moment that their mother might like another man’s child more than her own.

It’s the most impossible, gut wrenching love imaginable! It hurts like hell-- but the squeezes that I get and the smiles that I get and the kisses that I get and the love that I get make it all worthwhile.

I know one day my boys are going to grow up. I will have to watch them grow taller than me, grow facial hair and learn to drive. I will see them go through the trials of relationships and heartbreak, finishing school and getting jobs. I will see them less and less, and still love them just as much as ever.

I know we will not always see eye to eye. We won't always agree and they will get to a point where they will choose their own paths and beliefs and ideals and I will have to let them.

They are going to move on and get married to their own wives. They are going to have their own kids and they won’t really need me anymore.

I’m going to wake up one day and wonder, where did my life go?

Was it worth it?

And even now, knowing what I know, the answer will ALWAYS be the same.

Yes.

Yes.

It will ALWAYS be worth it.