Busy Mom

What do my children learn from me? I am a single mother of four, a student, and an employee of a young company. Our time together as a family tends to be limited due to our current lifestyle. It is important to me I raise my children the right way, I only get one try and I want to get it right. My children and I have a method that seems to work, to balance home, school, and work.

As I mentioned I am a single mother of four. Some would say that is a disadvantage for my children, but I disagree. My children have learned that we must stick together as a family and work for what we need and want. Recently we decided to change our eating lifestyle and have gone all homemade. Why with our busy schedule would we want to take the time? It is simple, it is time together, it is healthy, it is learning to read a recipe. Plus, it is learning what each of us did with our day, how we communicate. We sit at the table to do our homework, while we smell the dinner, we prepared as one unit, cooking behind us. I have taught them to believe in themselves and that anything is possible. My children have learned a person does what they have to do to make a difference, they have learned inner strength. We work together as a family to make our home function and to create a balance. The balance is the hardest part being a single parent with school and work.

Three days a week my oldest son and I take my daughter to her grandmother's so she can take the bus to school. The school she attends is only a few blocks from our home, but we have to be at school by 8a.m. My younger son sees himself off to school each morning. I call before I head in to class to see he is safely where he needs to be that day.Presently, I am taking four classes and am at school six hours per day.It is alarming to me that only 20% of single parents are in college, seems like a low percentage to me. We are lucky to have a support system so that we can have the gift of college and knowledge. My youngest is only nine, so some days are easier than others for her. She understands why I attend college, but not all the time it takes for homework. Her brothers are 19 and 17, her sister 15, they understand a little better why things take so long. It is more balance, taking time to sit with them and play, listen to what they have to say. We learn together.

Each month I have two to three days off from work. Two days a month my youngest goes to work with me at the office. Other days and some nights I do staffing at a nursing home for the agency I am employed. My ex-husband cares for the children when I work at night. I am blessed in that I do not work many nights, those are reserved for the weekends my children spend with their dad. According to statistics, children being raised my single mothers number in the 21 million range and 27.7% of these children live in poverty, whereas 11.1% of single fathers raising children live in poverty.(about.com)Those simple statistics are not a positive for the children. My children have learned to save for what they want and to know needs must be taken care of first.

I guess when it comes down to it I have taught my children quite a bit. The days seems to hurry by with school, work, sports, after school activities, and life. But as a single parent I feel strong anad know I will continue to guide my children and show them unconditional love. I will remain the parent with the open household, where my children know they can speak openly and bring their friends to hang out. Although I am a busy mom, I am still mom, home each night, growing with my children, and keeping that balance.

Sources:

"According to Single Parent Statistics, Who is the "Average" Single Parent?:" about.com, a part of The New York Times Company,2010

"The Statistics on Single Parents in College"
http://www.singleparentcenter.net/single-parenting/single-parents-enrolled-in-college.html, 2010