The Single Parent Struggle
I sincerely hope that the following statement isn’t offensive to single parents, but my hand to the Lord, I honestly don’t see how it can be done.
Obviously, it happens everyday. Single parents everywhere raise beautiful children without a lot of the drama commonly associated with this family dynamic. But between the sleepless nights, evolving feeding and changing schedules, and balance with work, I really can’t visualize how one person does it all alone.
In the month since June was born, I haven’t slept more than fours in any night, and those four have never been consecutive. I returned to work two days after he was born, because I had not yet earned enough vacation time as a new hire. Exhausted, I sat at a desk all day missing my wife and son, and fighting back tears of fatigue.
Eight hours later, I would return home to a mountains of diapers requiring changing, rivers of tears, an exhausted spouse, and the bleary-eyed realization that time would rewind in just 12 short hours.
Fortunately, my wife and I quickly adapted to our son’s needs and continue to approach his care with a two-pronged attack. You change him? I get the bottle ready. You’re feeding him? I’ll sleep and it will be your turn to rest in three hours.
Yeah, we still walk around and snap on each other. But our system has made for a more restful baby and more manageable work days. Can’t imagine what it would be like without my wife, and I certainly can’t paint a family portrait in my mind of one parent and an infant.
I’d love to hear from single parents on how they manage the early years of their children’s life, and what kind, if any, help they were able to receive. Not just for my benefit, but perhaps there are single parents out there that may read the message, and realize that it can be accomplished.
