Single parents, I see you. I am amazed by you. And I hope you are doing well.
Parenting

An Open Letter to Single Parents

Single parents, I see you. I am amazed by you. And I hope you are doing well.

By Sarah Pierce

Dear Amazingly Strong Single Parent,

I see you, and I admire you. Since I don’t actually know you and I’m introverted, I’ll probably never say it, but I just wanted to tell you I think you’re doing great. As someone lucky enough to have grown up with two parents and to raise my daughter with my husband by my side, you impress me.

Quite frankly, I have no idea what you or your kids are going through. I only “know” the things I’ve imagined in my head or heard about through the experiences of my single-parent friends who have trusted me and made time in their busy lives to include me. I’m sorry if I’m staring at you, but you make me curious because I can’t figure out how you make magic happen every day. It’s quite impressive.

I see you, and I just want to say you’re doing an amazing job. I see that you’re outnumbered and handling your kids with amazing care and grace while I tiredly chase my one child around, and I wonder how you do it every day.

How do you wake up in the morning and get each of you ready, dressed, hair brushed, bundled up in jackets, lunches packed, and delivered to school or daycare on time before going to work? How do you spend half of the night awake with a sick kid and still wake up and get everyone where they need to be on such little sleep?

I wonder how many things you’ve missed out on – how many girls nights, casual dinners with friends, or concerts – because you couldn’t find a sitter or you’d already been away from your family too much that week at work or school. I just want to tell you that you’re awesome.

I see you, and I notice that your children are well behaved, your hair is neat, and your clothes are clean. Kudos to you for keeping your shit together. Like me, you’re probably not like that every day, but I know how hard it is in a two-parent, one-child household to make that happen, and it impresses me that you can do it alone. I see the effort you’ve put into healthy snacks for your kids, and I see you juggling the giant diaper bag while holding on tightly to your little ones to assure their safety. You’re doing a great job.

I see you, and I’m sorry that you have to deal with people judging you. I’m sorry that you have no partner to talk to about your day. I hope that you have someone you can trust to talk to, someone to lean on when you’re struggling. I hope you have a parent, a friend, or maybe even the other parent of your children to rely on when you need someone. I hope that you’re not struggling to make ends meet or worrying too much about your future. I wish the best for you and your family, and I hope that you find what you’re looking for.

Even though I see you, I do realize that I don’t actually know you and that I’m making assumptions about your life that could be totally off base. I’m sorry if I’ve thought anything about you that’s untrue or if I’ve labeled you unjustly. I just want you to know that I see you, I admire you, and I hope you have someone in your life to rely on. You’re doing a fine job, and I hope that you’re doing well.

Sincerely,

Another Mom Who Sees You

**********

About Sarah Pierce

Sarah Pierce is a Midwest mom with one crazy toddler, an awesome husband, and a ridiculous chocolate lab, surviving on caffeine, love, and as little sleep as humanly possible. She’s new to the blogging world (with a handful of articles under her belt between Sammiches & Psych Meds and Scary Mommy) with a full time job. Follow her on Twitter (@TriSarahTops04).