I Just Do It

So many people make the comment “I don’t know how you do it”!  Truth be told, I don’t know how I do it either, I just do it!  I have been raising my daughter on my own since she was five months old and she is now seven years old.  Being a single parent is not the easiest job in the world; but I am lucky that I have one awesome kid.  

As it turns out that my ex-husband and I were not meant to be together, I truly believe that he was brought into my life to give me her.  She is the best thing that ever happened to me and she is such a great source of strength and love for me and I thank God for that! 

Although I have sole custody, her father is still part of her life and she spends every other weekend with him, as well as some holiday breaks.  Usually when she is with her dad, I am scrambling to get caught up on the stuff that didn’t get done during the week – you know the fun stuff, like laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and preparing for the week ahead.  Once that is all said and done, there is not much time left for socializing; however lately I have been making that more of a priority!

Sometimes we lose ourselves trying to be everything and do everything for everyone else and end up putting ourselves at the bottom of the list.  By the time we finish helping everyone else, there is no time or energy left for ourselves!  Thanks to an amazing network of friends that I have met through the ever powerful Twitter, I am realizing that it is doesn’t have to be that way.  I have started doing more things for myself while still meeting all of my daughters needs.   At first it was not easy – the “Mom Guilt” kicked in.  How can I leave her with someone else for a few hours after working all day long?  It is not easy; but it is something that I need to do for me once in a while and hope that one day she will understand why I need this time.

My daughter recently came back home after a week-long summer vacation with her Dad, and one of the first things she said to me was “Mommy, I really missed you and want you to know that I love you and I appreciate you!  And just so you know, I’m really excited about our trip to British Columbia!”   How sweet is that?!!  

I may not be able to teach her how to be a good wife; but I am hoping that I can teach her how to be a great woman!