The One Kid Struggle

By Heather Miller

My youngest child is preschool age. Her two sisters are school age. For some reason, that is completely unknown to me, preschool summer break starts about two weeks earlier than public school’s summer break. Therefore, I am stuck, alone, with a three year old, for those weeks. While it starts off cute and fun, it is not, and I find myself counting down the hours until my other two get home so that I can have a break. What I am getting at here folks is that being a parent of one is hard.

Once I drop my school-agers off in the morning, it is on. We get back to the house and my youngest monster begins to demand everything from coloring to play doh to milk to a TV show, the list goes on and on. I look around a realize that I am the only one around to meet all of her demands. There are no sisters for her to go and play with or get her a glass of milk while I finish folding the laundry. It is just me. Just me to completely entertain another human being for the day as well as make sure that the house does not end up looking like an episode of Hoarders.

I see where this could seem like a chance for me to bond with my youngest and give her all of my attention like a loving mother should. Thing is, I can only draw so many dinosaurs, color so many pictures of Doc McStuffins, and only applaud her for jumping on one foot so many times before I feel like I just might lose it. Don’t get me wrong, we do have some great times taking trips to the park, just the two of us. Or hitting up Harris Teeter and raiding the samples together, but in all honesty, my life is so much easier when I have all three of my kids together as opposed to taking care of them one on one.

I feel like mothers of one are looked upon as having it easy. Well, not today. Today I would like to give all of you mothers of one a huge pat on the back. You ladies are killing it. I often get the comment, “I just don’t know how you handle three kids.” And yes, three can be a lot at times, however, I would like to ask you ladies that question. How in the world do you do it with one?! You are constantly on. There is never a moment when your little bundle of joy is not looking at you to entertain or help them in some way.  You, mother of one, are a super hero as far as I am concerned and I don’t feel that you get the credit you deserve.

I will wrap this up by saying whether we have one or seven kids, parenting is hard work. We are all doing the best we can. Let us not compare our struggles to those of other parents.  Instead, let’s all lend a helping hand and raise this next generation to be the best of the best. If there is one saying that I have found to be true in parenting it is that it truly does take a village!

Happy Summer, all!!