Single Parent Link

The first small victory came after an intense negotiation—for an hour, it was back and forth on each point of contention. Is this permissible? No. This? Perhaps—as long as these concessions are made. Both parties had grown weary, eagerly waiting for the other to relinquish control and accept the terms. Instead, the conversation seemed endless until the six year-old threw his hands up in the air and agreed to eat the peas, turn off the television and take a bath at some point in the week. I was overcome with relief and giddy over the win. It took about two minutes to realize that the entire process could have been smoother, less painful and far more effective if I had gone into the conversation with a better plan. ...

Posted at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

09/23/12

The Single Parent Stigma

Every time I tell someone that I am a single parent, I notice the averted gaze, the look of pity and the insinuation that I am spreading some sort of single parent virus with every conversation. It seems that several assumptions are made—it is my fault that I am a single parent…clearly I didn’t work hard enough to make the marriage work; I am living in poverty since I couldn’t possibly survive on one income; my kid is miserable and unhappy with only one parent. In reality, I am lucky that I am able to make it on one income, my ex-husband is very involved in my son’s life, and my son is very happy, especially since my ex comes to see him nearly every day. While many of these reactions and assumptions do not surprise me...

Posted at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments: 2