Chronicles of an Inspired Single Mom

Raise your glass or tea cup with me as we celebrate this auspicious(ha ha I’m sounding real intellectual today) occasion. It’s mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day here in the land of tea and everything Royal (England). Some may not see it as a grand occasion but for those of us who live on parent boulevard we welcome this day of reflection and celebration.

Before I roll out of bed in the morning I’m already plagued by a million thoughts. What’s on the menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner or what should I pack in the children’s lunch boxes? What should I dress my son in for nursery(always having to check the weather first in this part of the world). Will I drive my daughter to school or should she take the bus and if she’s taking the bus, does she have enough money on her swift card (bus pass)?Have I ensured there’s enough money in the bill account to pay the bills? Should I do laundry today or just the usual tidying up and dishes….it never ends and we haven’t even begun to deal with the children and what new plan they cooked up in their minds while sleeping, to make you have to call on Jesus or decide to go to jail. Mothering is hard and spoiler alert it never gets easier.

But as I reflect I smile on some of the fondest memories I have of my mom. I’ve watched my mom turn a broom stick into a ward robe in our quaint rental home at the time. I’ve watched her as she fanned with much vigor a coal pot to cook food for her girl guides unit or to make duckna at home. I beam when I remember her studying to complete her degree or our trips together over the years. I’m tickled by my antics when I pretended I was sleeping, when mom would grab her curlers bag and head to my room so I could curl her hair. She always tried to give me what I needed and has always been there no matter what to offer help or a listening ear and that’s the kind of mother I strive to be.

Some of us may have moved into motherhood at different stages of our lives. We either planned for it or by some stroke of luck it happened to us when we least expected it. It’s a selfless job, one where we never clock out, it can be rewarding or stressful, and each stage brings new complexities. I remember the first night coming home from the hospital with my daughter I was tired, I almost slept through the night. I sprung out of the bed (almost ripping the stitches that the midwives worked so diligently on to make me whole again) because in my subconsciousness I remembered I had a baby to care for. I can’t even begin to tell you about the many thoughts than ran through my mind as I approached her crib, but their she was curled up fast asleep; the world’s most perfect baby!

I’ve had my ups and downs as a mother. There are days when you feel nobody is hearing you, when you’re not getting through to your children, times when you feel you’ve repeated yourself a million times, days when you’re not appreciated or taken for granted. But sometimes your child or children does something and you realise heyyyy they are getting it! All I’ve been teaching them, the time I’ve invested in them is not in vain.

Parents and soon to be parents no matter your struggle or your fear remember you are not alone and I was reminded of this as I sat in a parenting workshop last week(I’ll tell you more about this in another post). Learn from the daily lessons that come your way, be patient, slow to anger(I’m definitely working on this one), understanding, reflective and most of all loving. Love your children! Despite the hard times and the unexplainable behaviours or tantrums. Speak things into being over their lives even when you don’t see it (positive affirmations). Let your house be a house of peace and love. Sometimes the change we want to see in our children must start with us.

What decisions do you have to make today? How will these decisions affect the future of your child, children or unborn little one? until next time…Besos😘