THE EMOTIONAL STRUGGLES OF A SINGLE MOM (she’s doing the best that she can)
Although the story of each single mom is different, the emotional struggles that single moms carry are all the same. Whether she became a single mom due to falling out of love, divorce, or the loss of her partner, every single mom will deal with emotional struggles that make her challenge how strong she is on a daily basis.
It’s no doubt that the first few months of being a single parent are probably some of the hardest. Raising children alone is a hard job, and she probably didn’t think she was going to be able to do everything on her own. Trying to balance working a full time job, taking night classes, and taking care of her children all on her own is too much for anyone to do on their own, let alone doing it 24/7. Especially if she isn’t getting child support, some days she won’t know how she’s going to make this whole thing work. But she does. Every single day she goes through the motions of working hard at her job and working even harder to raise her child and she makes it work.
There are times after the first few months where even though she is making it work, she will feel like all her work isn’t good enough. She feels mom guilt about the amount of hours she has to work away from her children, or raising her voice at her kids one too many times, or missing out on events with the people she loves because there is simply too much on her plate. And let’s not forget to mention the amount of criticism that single moms get on an everyday basis. It’s rude and not fair, especially when she’s working like crazy everyday to provide and give her children the life they deserve - how could someone possibly have something negative to say about that?
But even when she’s overwhelmed with work, money, parenting, and everything else that comes with being a single parent, she knows that she’s doing the best she can. She loves her children more then anything, and does everything she can to give them the best life. She’s being an amazing example for her children of what it looks like to work hard and take care of the people you love. All those extra hours at work, the lack of sleep, and every single minute she puts aside for her children is showing her kids how much their mom loves them. She knows that all the stress and work will pay off in the end.
Even on her most tired and worst day, she’ll never regret having her children because they are the best thing that ever happened to her. Even on the days where she wants to run away from it all, or hide in the bathroom to cry, she keeps going because she loves her children unconditionally and wants to give them the best life possible.
So the next time you see a single mom, instead of passing judgement, why don’t you offer her some help? Even small acts of kindness like opening the door when she’s carrying a bunch of groceries and a toddler on her hip or a simple “you’re doing a great job” can go a long way.