Happy Mother's Day

I've been a single mom for a while now. Let's be real here for a minute - I was a single mom long before the divorce, but I suppose the divorce made it "official." I don't think it really quite hit me until I picked my youngest up and got his Mother's Day present from his daycare though. I guess I've just been too focused on making it through to even give it much thought.

Single mom. It's weird to me. I guess because I've always had this image of what a single mom was. She is this fierce, strong-willed, amazingly capable woman. She's a super hero. Seriously - she's got some badass super powers. She can be in 47 different places at once. She can time travel - I'm sure of it. She can read minds - her kids can attest to that. She has super strength - at least it seems like she must. She can function on nothing but caffeine and hugs. She's completely amazing and I'm in total awe.

But me? I'm not those things. I'm struggling to juggle everything and make all the right decisions. I second guess all of my choices. I feel like I don't do enough for my kids. I'm definitely not fierce. I'm meek and typically very quiet, preferring not to rock the boat. I feel exhausted day in and day out. There isn't enough caffeine in the world to keep me functioning at a reasonable level. I'm not amazing. I'm sufficient at best. But the thing is, I'm doing it. It may not be pretty or impressive looking, but my kids have clean clothes (sometimes - they're boys after all), food in their bellies, a roof over their heads and all the love I can give. I'm busting my ass to try to make sure they're taken care of. Some days I feel like I'm completely falling apart. Some days I'm convinced I'm just a total mess. I often forget to take care of myself. But I'm learning. I'm getting there, and I'm learning that I don't have to be super mom. It's okay to struggle some days - that's what makes me human. The important thing is that I pick myself back up, shake off the dust and get right back to it.

So to all the single moms out there, you're awesome and I'm proud of you for kicking ass and doing what you need to do for your kids. But could you knock it down a peg? You're making us newbies look bad...
L