single

My husband beat me to the punch this morning with his Valentine's Day post on Facebook:

I love having someone to celebrate Valentine's Day with. But today, my heart and prayers go as well to those who are single (and don't want to be), widowed or widowers, divorced, or separated. The culture makes this a tough holiday for you and today I want you to know how much you are loved.

I had a whole blog post formulating in my head about this subject, so I'm kind of mad at him for beating me to it, but ah well.  At least it shows we are on the same page, right?  Plus he usually says things better than I do anyway.

But I did not want this "holiday" to pass by without me acknowledging a group of people very dear to my heart.  Single parents.  And, because I was one not so long ago, single moms.  Regardless of the circumstance that put you where you are, being a single mom is a kick your butt to the moon and back, exhausting and often times thankless job.  In fact, people generally have pretty strong opinions and ideas about who you are, what you're doing wrong, how you're raising your child(ren) and what you should be doing better.

And well meaning married friends try to show solidarity with you by telling you they are doing the "single parent thing" while their husbands are out of town and they just don't know how you do it.

Well, as someone who is now home with children while my husband travels for work, I can say it's just not the same as being a single mom.  Because my husband comes home.  He takes out the garbage.  He brings in the income so that I can stay home with my children.  He runs errands, he does the laundry.  He brings home an income.  He is here when I need to talk through something frustrating or get advice.  He kills spiders.  He brings home an income.

You know what I'm saying.  As a single parent (mom OR dad) you do all of those things.  You're the spider killer, the laundry do-er, the boo boo kisser, the bedtime story reader, the nightmare soother, the bring home the bacon-er, the broken toilet fixer, the garbage taker outer...

And then holidays like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day roll around and it gets you down.  Even when you tell yourself it's just a dumb Hallmark holiday and it doesn't really matter - it will get you down.

So to all the single mamas (and daddies) out there - I get it.  You're loved and appreciated more than you know - not only by the kidlets you work so hard for but by Jesus, who is the lover of your soul.


 

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the single parents out there - and happy Valentine's Day to my husband who does all of our laundry and rolls out the garbage for garbage day.

xoxo