I really thought my toughest years of parenting were when I had two in diapers at the same time. I was exhausted chasing two toddlers, but those smiles and kisses made it worthwhile. My son and daughter thought I hung the moon and they didn’t seem to mind when I danced around the living room and sang silly songs.
Tag: single parenting
Faith – A Fresh Take: Mothers as Super Heroes
I’ve always heard about and truly do believe in a mother’s intuition. My mother could always tell when something was wrong based on my tone of voice or my facial expressions, no matter how hard I tried to mask thepain or anguish I was feeling. She just knew something wasn’t right. She wasn’t a magician or a superhero — she was a mother.
Single Mom and Separation Anxiety With an Only Child
It’s common for your toddler to cling to your leg when you leave for work, or a kindergartner to miss mommy while at school. However, separation anxiety can be even more difficult for only children and children raised by a single mom, says Dr. Wendy Rice, a licensed psychologist in Tampa, Florida. “Separation anxiety is a common phase during child development, in part due to innate fears that the parent may disappear if out of the child’s immediate sight,” says Rice. “If fear that the parent will disappear when the child leaves their side dominates, insecurity takes over and separation becomes a frightening and frustrating experience for both parent and child.” As a single mom, it’s important to maintain a close relationship with your child while helping her cope with separation anxiety, using activities and strategies to help her gain independence when mom cannot be right by her side.
New Beginnings Disguised as Chaos
As a working single mom, I’ve never been one to wallow in the challenges of the balancing act. I’ve accepted the fact that I live in my car 6 out of 7 days a week transporting my kiddos to and from dance, football and soccer practices. I’ve accepted the fact that no matter how hard I try, we will run out of milk before I buy a new gallon and it’s likely that we will be late to at least three events each week. I’ve also accepted the fact that I am going to mess up … a lot. This summer, especially, has been a summer of chaos and mess ups. The kids and I were dealt a challenging blow with the end of long-term relationships, delays with selling and buying a new home, and the task of rebuilding some of the bonds we had lost in the shuffle of just plain busyness. These challenges were a blessing in disguise. While sleeping on mattresses on the floor, we’ve had a chance to cuddle as a trio to watch movies. While selling old furniture and long-forgotten toys, we’ve been given a chance to wash away some of the old pain in search of new beginnings. While packing up our memories, we’ve talked at length about the new memories we are about to make. I’ve learned so much about my children this summer than I have in a long time – without these challenges and a complete release of baggage wearing us down, this would not have been possible. At the end of the day, as tired as I am physically and emotionally, I’ve realized that I have the best job in the world as a mom. Not only do I get to have these wonderful people to myself, I also get to see their smiling faces each and every morning. I get to congratulate them when they master a triple or conquer a tackle. I get to talk with them about their day while driving through Starbucks and kiss them good night, no matter how many times they tell me they are getting too old for that. I get the opportunity to ‘be’ something to them, like no one else. In a few days, I get to provide them with a new beginning that will change their lives forever. And, I can’t wait to make it a reality. - Shannon Philpott Blog Entry: July 18, 2012
A Mother’s Intuition: My Kids Know Me the Best
I’ve always heard about and truly do believe in a mother’s intuition. My mother could always tell when something was wrong based on my tone of voice or my facial expressions, no matter how hard I tried to mask the pain or anguish I was feeling. She just knew something wasn’t right. She wasn’t a magician or a superhero – she was a mother. Now that I have two children of my own, I have the same gut feeling in my stomach when my daughter’s voice is low or my son turns his head so I won’t see his expressions. As a mother, you feel what your kids feel. You hurt when your kids hurt. Ironically, though, I think that we underestimate how much intuition our kids have. Children have a keen sense when it comes to someone they care about. Just as I can detect when my son or daughter has had a bad day at school, my children can sense the same from me. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Missing Mommy
There’s something both rewarding and heart wrenching about missing someone. If you’re missed, it makes you feel valued and appreciated. If you’re missing someone else, it helps you to appreciate and value that person even more. After five days away from my family last week, I’ve come to realize that missing mommy is healthy and painful at the same time. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Single Parenting With F-A-I-T-H
As a single mother, it is sometimes difficult to see faith within my daily routine, much less life. I’ve been through the stress of separation and divorce. It would be much easier to delve into what is wrong in life, rather than let faith adjust my focus to what is right in life.
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 