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Surviving Single Parenting

For those of you who read this - I know it's not too many - some of you know me personally, so this won't come as a shock to you.  But, for the rest of you, there's a minor, personal detail which I've left out of my previous blog posts.  If you've been following me for any period of time, this may be surprising to you as I've shared the in's and out's of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, as well as many other sordid details of parenting.  But, alas, there is one important item which I've neglected to share.

I am a military spouse.  Now, you may be wondering what this means and what it has to do with the title of this post on being a single parent.  This essentially means that there are times when my husband cannot be around to be the father that I know he wants to be.  There are times when I must make the decisions for my family.  And, there are times when I must struggle through tantrums, milestones, life lessons, and other childhood dramas without support.  Some of you may recognize these struggles as you too are either a milspouse or a single parent. 

When I thought of having a family, there would be so many times when I needed support from someone other than myself.  There are times when I've thought that I was going to go crazy because I couldn't take the crying, screaming, or not being around an adult.  There are times when I thought the world around me was going to fall down because I hadn't gotten a single break between spit ups, pukes, poops, pees, and every other sort of mess that comes with having a child.  There are times when my has teetered on the very edge of sanity because of sleep deprivation and the constant need my Sweet Pea has needed from me.

But, I'm here to say that, while I don't quite consider myself a survivor, I would say that I am surviving.  Every day is a new battle.  Every week brings new challenges.  Every month brings a new development in not only my child's life, but also in my own.  My strength builds.  My hope endures.  My skills at parenting are being sharpened.  I am being developed into a survivor.

So, while I can't give exact pointers on how to survive single parenthood, I can say that it is possible.  Every parent is different.  Every child is different.  But, through it all, know that we are not alone.  Whatever situation has made you a single parent, you too can choose to become a survivor.

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