Single Parenting

In the past, when Hubby dear leaves for an out of town conference, I would get completely stressed out at the thought of being a single parent. This stress and anxiety will invariably turn the situation into a forgettable, unhappy and phew-i-am-so–glad-he-is-back kinda event.

He has been away for a few days now. Not far, just away in DC but to avoid the nasty morning commute, he has been spending the nights there. Just as expected, I got antsy about managing two kids on my own but after spending the last couple of days without hubby and help, I am beginning to think, it's really not so bad.

In fact, we are enjoying our time together. They get to hog on mommy and I get to hog on them. It’s been fun. They have been following directions (read listening), helping out and playing well together. And I hate to admit, we don't quite miss Papa's presence. OK, we do but not as much as we used to. Especially me.

An advance notice to the kids I think played an instrumental role in preparing for the days without Papa. I read somewhere that kids need time to process and break down the information and a notice reduces the typical reactive behaviors and prepares them for the change. I know for sure it does make a huge difference with D but am not sure if it is effective with A yet. But seeing her brother calm and comfortable helps her go along with the flow. They have been super good kids and am immensely proud of them.

Hubby dear comes back tonight after a long conference week. We are looking forward to seeing him and spending some quality time over the weekend. He leaves again for two days next week and has a few other trips planned over the next couple of months. Now I am OK about that. I feel confident that I will do just fine single-handedly. The kids and I will help each other out.

Despite challenges of single parenting, there are millions of folks who are single and raising kids, perhaps as effectively or even better than we are. I raise a toast to them and respectfully bow my head to them for their fortitude and patience. I simply don't know how you do what you do everyday but please know that you set a great example for the rest of us who are blessed and lucky to have a partner for shared responsibility and accountability.