Single Parents! Saving Sanity

Sanity is such a vague word...what's sane to me could be insane to you. It's a vicious circle that absorbs every ounce of being in a single parent. This is coming to you from experience - a lot of experience! My boys are 17 and 15...and I'm a borderline insane woman at times! The easiest way to keep yourself normal is to make sure you still have independence...and a little alone time. Unfortunately, I never really had much time to myself. When I'm at work, I'm surrounded by teenagers...when I'm home...well, you figure it out. My world revolves around my boys - it always has - it always will. The problem now is that they won't need their mommy much longer. If you don't keep your sanity when your kids are younger, it will be harder to hold onto it when they're grown. I'm stuck trying to figure out where I belong in this world...who I am as a person.

My advice is simply put...if I would have taken my own advice, I wouldn't be writing this article. To all single parents out there - whether you're a mother or a father - keep your social circle open. Make sure you do things for yourself, as well as for your children. It will make you both much happier and it will make the transition a bit easier to swallow as your kids get older. A lot of parents out there are like me...a perfect combination of sane and insane. We try to overcompensate out of the guilt due to a missing parent...guilt from barely making ends meet. That stress alone is enough to drive anyone over the edge. Walk your path cautiously...hold your children close...but give yourself some space.

As I try to figure out who I am, I remember that I will always be mom. My kids will always need me...maybe not as much as once before...but I'll still be needed. This is the point in my life when I should be enjoying myself, and I'm determined to figure out how...my sanity depends on it. I could always spend some extra time with my friends - outside of work. Maybe even stop off to see a late night movie. The world is my own...it's time to put my insanity to rest...permanently! I'm going to sit back...relax...enjoy my children...and my grandson! After all, now my son has taken on the role of 'single father'...which leaves me with wondering one thing. As he raises his son, will he learn to appreciate all that I ever did for him...I'm sure he will. My one hope is that he'll be able to hold onto his sanity a bit longer than I held onto mine.