Being a single parent is HARD!! Who am I kidding, it is so unbelievably hard!! It’s been said a million times, and it will be said a million times more. Being a single parent is like having another full-time job. I would not have dreamt that I would be here at 38 years old. I always thought I would be married and live somewhere big with a house and 2.5 kids. You know the American dream, or so it was when I was younger.

Single parenting is all about finding balance. Balance between work, your kids, your house, and you. Almost all of the time the "you" category gets pushed to the side. I don’t know about you, but I get so annoyed by movies that make parenting look so easy. I think that if it were that easy then there would be a lot less stress. I would love to work an eight to five job, come home and cook dinner, clean my house, get my kids to bed, and then take a long bath. Let’s face it though, almost no one works an eight to five job. Dinner never takes just 30 minutes unless it’s premade or mac and cheese. There is no way my house is getting clean in one night with two almost-teenage girls. Let’s face that fact right now. Girls have way too much stuff. My kids are old enough now that they can get ready for bed. I still say "goodnight" and tuck them in, it's just not the same as when they were little. After that would happen I would be lucky to get a shower in before I passed out. It would be nice to have a realistic movie about being a single parent. I am not talking about just moms here; there are single dads out there too, albeit you hardly hear about them.

I will be the first to admit it that after coming home from a very long day at work all I want to do is relax and sleep. My kids always ask what’s for dinner. I would love to be able to stand there for an hour and make a meal. I am not going to be unrealistic though. We usually have frozen meals or already done crockpot meals. My girls are older now which in itself comes with loads of homework. We spend hours on homework which, let’s get real, this homework is insane!! I do not remember doing any of this stuff until I was in high school, and my daughter is in eighth grade.

There is no science or right or wrong way to this parenting thing. I do miss having someone to share responsibilities with and someone to help me. It would be nice for me to be able to take a day off and just relax. Being that I am mom and dad here, I get no days off. I had the flu for four days and that was the closest to days off I got. That was only because I couldn’t leave my bed. I know that some people might say that my parenting style is “wrong” or “doesn’t work." I would say to anyone that I have two amazing children. They are both so intelligent, respectful, and beautiful. I would do anything for them. I think that makes me a good parent. I do not have to have someone by my side or be married to make me a good parent. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that are not doing that great and they would fit the qulifications of a “nuclear family”.

Being a good parent to me is doing anything and everything you can for your kids When your kids need braces, shoes, and are sick. You do anything you can to make sure that you are there for them. You find the money for the braces. You somehow figure out how to be home when they are sick and only want their mommy. You are that constant in their life when everything else is always changing. You are their one person that no matter what they can always go to for anything: that to me makes a good parent.