Redefining Family: Lessons from a Reluctant Single Parent

I never fathomed I would be a single parent.

Not for one minute.

It wasn’t even a reality I considered relevant to me.

I respected single moms, absolutely, but I never thought I’d walk a day in their shoes.

Now that I’ve run literal mental marathons with my child in tow, I have a few things to say.

It’s easier in some respects to do it alone than to do it with a dipshit.

I don’t have to waste time pretending to “have it all.” I just focus on being the best parent I can be for my kiddo.

I do not have to keep justifying and lying about why her father is not around or not supporting us in the manner he should be. I simply am an individual raising a child. It has erased a lot of drama and lying from my day-to-day life to simply live in the truth of my life.

I am the mother and the father.

I held onto the concept of marriage and a traditional family for way, way, way too long because my father was — and is — my anchor. He’s the reason I am who I am today.

As a child, all my formative, positive learning experiences hinged on the one-on-one moments and conversations my father and I shared. I thought having a dad was pivotal. Turns out, I…