single
Non-nuclear is the new normal; sometimes one head is better than two.
Are single-income households feasible?
I honestly believe the model of a single-income household is a healthy one ~ but certainly not along gender lines. Significant lifestyle changes that might seem uncomfortable at first are required. They are ultimately healthy choices.
By Thomas Tortorich5 years ago in Families
Single Mother
My mom has taught me many lessons. I can't even count the amount of times she has helped me in my life. She has taught me that I am strong enough, brave enough, and smart enough to raise my two boys on my own. Being a single mother herself, I do not ever remember her giving up or giving in to anything or anyone. She is the strongest woman I know and I can only hope that I am as strong and as brave as she is. She was a police officer before retirement and worked many hours to support my sisters and I. Because of her I have learned to work hard to make sure my kids have a strong and stable life. I could not have done it without her. She is definitely my hero. The grandkids consider her like a superhero. They talk to their friends about how their grandma hunts, fishes, rides motorcycles, and does all of these household projects on her own. Their friends say that their Grandmas sew and bake cookies. She is an amazing woman and I strive to be like her everyday. My parents divorced when my sisters and I were quite young. My parents did not have a wonderful relationship. There was fighting, my dad drank a lot, and anger filled the house. Unfortunately when I grew up I married a man who was a bipolar alcoholic and an abuser. Having 2 small children at the time, I was having a very hard time dealing. I could see the pain my kids were going through and I knew I had to get out of the situation. I thought back often to my parents' relationship and how strong my mom was being able to leave the marriage raising three children on her own. It gave me strength to do the same. After retirement she went straight into the Red Cross. She travelled all over the country helping people in need because of disaster. Loved the work even though it was very hard and took her away from family, including young grandchildren. But she knew she wasn't ready to stop working quite yet. She was in the red cross for almost 10 years before she finally decided it was time to retire and relax. Of course she spends a lot of time helping my sisters and I with our kids so I guess she hasn't quite stopped working yet. As I was a young single mother, it was the most amazing thing to have the support and help from her. She bought a duplex so my sister and I could live there with our children. My sister was also a single mom. If i couldn't pay rent, i didn't have to worry about being put out on the street. I could concentrate on my kids and their needs. She would come over and be grandma, but she would also come over and be the landlord and fix the sink or help clean up the yard. Anything we needed I knew she would be there to help out with. She would and still does help me out with money when I need it. She makes sure she writes down everything I owe her, which is fine with me. It makes me more considerate and more thankful for the help. Not feeling like I am just freeloading from her. I honestly feel like i would not be on this earth anymore without her help and her words keeping me calm on my bad days. I have gone through a lot in my life and she is always there to bring sense to what i am going through and helps me find ways to fix the issues and not just give up. I am literally here because of my mother, in more way than one.
By Stephanie Day5 years ago in Families
Super Mum
I’ve always admired single mums. Having to take on both parental roles with your child is something I find very commendable. I always had some sort of a father figure in my life. Whether it was my real dad or a step-dad, I’ve always had a “dad.” However, every parental figure in my life has never been good at taking responsibility, including my mother. For advice on subjects' people would normally go to their parents for I had to reach out to others. My best friend. I’ve always relied heavily on her for things my parents really should have taken a bigger role and interest in. From the boys I was seeing to the dark days of my life, she has always been there. I knew that no matter what I was going through, I never had to do it alone. So, when she fell pregnant and had a child of her own at the age of 18, I knew she was going to be amazing and do anything and everything to give her little girl a life she deserves.
By YesItsMocha5 years ago in Families
Going, Going, Gone
Ellen pauses at the door to the ballroom. This will be her first social gathering in more than a year. The governor has finally approved larger crowds as the coronavirus seems to be subsiding. But that doesn't mean she isn't nervous to be in a group after spending more than 14 months alone. And this will be a big one, 250 people attending to raise money to provide assistance to the homeless in her small city. It is the long-standing social event of the spring, featuring dinner, dancing, and the showpiece, an auction of the city's most eligible single men and women. She was asked in the past to participate in the auction but something about being put on display in that manner didn't appeal to her. Her real estate agency always purchases a table and she attend as one of the principal agents. She enjoys watching the spectacle of the auction even if she doesn't want to be auctioned herself. The past year was very lucrative for the agency and for her personally. If there is a man who appeals to her she has decided she will join the bidding. Her last date was shortly before everything closed down and she is hungry to share a connection with another human being.
By Susan Mills5 years ago in Families
Musings of a Recently Single Mother
Why is dating a single mom considered to be an achievement for some men? Just because a woman has children, she is automatically seen as a caregiver, or wifey material which does not make sense to me. I even chose to ask a male friend of mine about this.
By Chloe Rose Violet 🌹5 years ago in Families
Cass' Attonement
Hi Cass - I am writing this to you with a wounded heart. Believe me, this may not be one of my more elevating messages. Make sure you are sitting down. I'm not sure why this is important - it is what one requests when dealing out unwelcome news, so I am requesting that you do it. So here goes nothing...
By Carrie Weiler5 years ago in Families
Folded Notes
Shelly was sitting on her porch on a crisp fall morning. The air smelled like new tires - it was her favorite smell. Shelly always sat on her porch to clear her mind and to stay focused. Today, of all days, would be a good day to clear her mind. She just found a black notebook in the parking lot of the grocery store. It was important for her to return it to its rightful owner, but inside her most inner thoughts, she wanted to keep it for herself. As she was flipping through the ivory pages every second, she felt more confident than she had ever felt in her life. Just one glimpse of the hard soft black cover of the notebook she felt the power and prestige. Just the touch of the bookmark ribbons of the notebook made her imagine she was royalty. Shelly was not a greatly confident woman, and this soft black cover notebook made her feel confident. She played over and over in her mind how strangers would treat her differently whenever she walked in a public place with this notebook. “Crash!!!” She heard in the background, it was coming from inside her home, which interrupted her deep thoughts.
By Latoiua Foster5 years ago in Families
Unknown Caller
The plane was circling above the airport and the pilot was assuring us that we would be landing within minutes. His reassurances were not making me feel any better, but he sounded in control. “We have been cleared to approach, our landing is imminent.” I grabbed my purse that I had placed in the seat beside me and found my cell phone. I wanted to be ready when we landed to verify my rental car so that I wouldn’t have to wait in line.
By Priscilla Welbourn5 years ago in Families
WHEN I SLEEP...
WHEN I SLEEP… This pandemic has certainly got me down. I am a disabled senior, age 76 who has spent most of the last 35 years trying to write that never-ending story. The stories keep ending but the writing never seems to stop and for a dyslexic writer it is quite a challenge.
By Bob Carswell5 years ago in Families
?? Relationships! What is it??
Here we are again! Back at that time of year where you start seeing all the red and pink in the isles of grocery stores & shopping outlets, you name it. We choose red and pink because apparently those colors are the color of love. Red and pink symbolize the heart and emotion. For a lot of us our favorite color is red, I know mine is. But for some reason around this time of year we start to hate those colors until the next holiday or season comes around.
By Becky Vasquez 5 years ago in Families
