To fully appreciate where we’re going, we need to look in the rearview mirror and see what we’re leaving behind and what we’re bringing with us in our journey. So, let me give a quick recap of what my life as a single mom has been for the last 12 years. Here we go on a trip down memory lane…
After breaking up with my son’s father, I found out I was pregnant and alone since he didn’t want the responsibility. So, with my mom by my side, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy and just like that my life changed. I was living in a small one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and while this was perfect for me as a single woman, it quickly became way too small after my son’s arrival. Before I knew it, there was stuff everywhere! Who knew that you needed so much stuff for such a little person. Or maybe, it was just me going crazy shopping. At any rate, we outgrew our place and had to move. To make a long story short, we moved from Manhattan to Jersey City and eventually north to Massachusetts where public education has a reputation as one of the best in the country.
Now, I’m sure many people will relate to what I’m about to say: “I hate moving”. All the packing while realizing that you’re a hoarder and there is a show just for you on Netflix, the unpacking, organizing, and living out of boxes for months while you try to figure out where to put all the stuff you didn’t give away for God only knows what reason. Just thinking about it makes me tired. But that is smooth sailing compared to moving alone with a baby or a toddler. I still remember using every available inch of space in my Chevrolet Cruze to bring all the “necessities” that we couldn’t send with the movers. The face of the bellboy when we arrived at the hotel where we would reside temporarily until we found a place, as I started unloading the car, including my son and my mom who were in the back seat, but you couldn’t see them because of all the stuff around them. Priceless! I am forever grateful that my mom came to help me with the move as I don’t know what I would have done alone.
Then comes all the fun stuff that being a working parent brings. Daycares, school hours, babysitters, after school activities, sports, birthday parties, vacations, the list goes on and on. Parenthood is not only exhausting but expensive as hell. The amount of planning and scheduling it takes just to meet friends for dinner just makes you want to become a hermit until your kid graduates high school. And dating as a single mom without a support system in the form of family or friends to babysit feels as the equivalent to a pipe dream (more on a future post).
But, above all, the last 12 years have been the best of my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My son and I have traveled to cool places like Iceland, Alaska, Mexico, and the Caribbean (and multiple trips to Panama, my home country, of course!) as well as many places in Canada and the US. The memories we share from all those trips are truly priceless. The adventures we have had close to home, especially during the pandemic, have brought us even closer. I have become an even bigger fan of sports and love watching basketball, baseball, soccer, and football both in person and on TV, thanks to him. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, when I think about what I bring with me on my journey, what I wouldn’t change as I turn a new leaf, my relationship with my son and all the adventures we have together are what I treasure the most and will always carry with me. I look forward to more, bigger and better adventures with my best friend for life as we continue with this journey called life.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way….
The Single Mom Life 