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Why I love Being a Single Mother - Page 23

post #441 of 477

Some are not "allowed" by the husbands to have their hair white; others are not "allowed" to have it painted (might allure other men to them, perhaps? Create a false impression of youngness and sexiness?). I am coloring my hair despite my dear 2nd h "orders" and getting the compliments only from other people.

Regarding yoga he's even more devious - "you just profess to doing meditations etc. but you don't really do them, that's why you are so nervous". (He, of course, has nothing to do with my nervousness, right?) BTW: when I do my meditations, or compose on the piano, he always interrupts;  women can always be interrupted, can't we? Always available for  whatever THEY want. like to talk about what they just read on the Internet.

 

God, I loved number 48 :"No more having to pat someone on the back for wiping down a sink and thinking they just climb Mt. Everest." He holds me so in debt for whatever he does of the chores it might really not be worth it. And we are talking about kids out of the house by now. My first h 's concept of cleanliness was vacuum clean once every 6 months. This one does more, but with tons of strings attached.

 

One would wonder why I stick with this second marriage (children are from first). After all a second marriage is mostly for fun, no? Most of the tensions are over, right?   You should leave it if you feel abused, no?  Well, under a deeper analysis the answer is probably:summarized in one word:  fear. Fear of being alone, the fear of no touch, no sex, the fear of aging by myself, the fear of no dating sites for my chronological age on the Internet, the fear of old men trying to approach me ( I feel very young, really. Still have my periods - regular! Am attracted to younger men, but never do anything about that And would anybody be interested? ). The fear whoever I find will be worse, probably an older guy looking for a caretaker. The fear of approaching the gay community (always an option in the background).. Anybody in the higher (or lower) age level has anything to say? ( I started mothering late, so my daughters are now in their early twenties and I'm 58).

I remember with much longing  the 12 years I slept with my dds in bed nursing through the night ,one on each side ( In earlier years  with 1st h as well. He, being a hippie,,was positive towards my mothering practices, including no vaccinations, nursing late, sleeping in bed,  but he was problematic on other scores). I didn't realize how many other single mothers love that so much...  

 

Those were the days, my friend...

post #442 of 477

Love taking the credit and the responsibility for everything. A very brave thing to say, yet true. We do have our possessive side, don't we? It is one of those feelings you feel you're not allowed to voice. I LOVE feeling how I did well with my daughters. And their dad? A minor player. Good genes. 

Stunning how all of us complain about similar things, like coming second (at best)  to the computer. 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by worthy View Post

Bump.  I am enjoying this thread very much.  Finally at a place where I can see the benefits of single parenting for myself.

 

I love that my home is emotionally peaceful now (yes, even with four kids). 

 

I love that I am not walking on eggshells or tiptoeing around someone else's moods and quirks.

 

I love that I do not feel inadequate at home anymore.

 

I love that I get to take credit and responsibility for everything...instead of shouldering the responsibility and having to share the credit. 

 

I love that I get "enforced days off" and time alone in my house two weekends a month when the kids are with their dad.  For me, this is a blessing, and I know not everyone here has it, and I am very grateful for it.

 

I love that my kids are not having to deal with contradictory values under the same roof.

 

I love that I am not accommodating another adult all the time. 

 

I love that I can choose to be with other adults when I want to - and not when I don't want to.

 

I love that I am now mothering only four, as it should be, instead of five (four littles and a grownup.)

 

I love not sharing the bed (unless my kids need to, and then I love that we have plenty of space).

 

I love that I get to decide where everything goes.

 

I love that all the clutter is mine to get rid of.

 

I love getting to do home improvements my way.

 

I love that I'm finding out how strong I really am.  I love that my kids are getting to see me growing stronger.

 

I love that I can serve whatever I want at Thanksgiving without being called a hypocrite for some reason or other.

 

I love not feeling like I come second to online gaming.

 

I love not having sex.  Seriously.



 

post #443 of 477

I love EVERY SINGLE THING about being a single mom except for the pity I get from strangers who don't know me well enough to know how much better off I am this way than I was before. I've only known singledom as a mom, but I know for certain that I prefer it over the alternative I was facing at three months pregnant. Would it have been nice to have a loving and supportive partner with common values and a kind heart? Absolutely. But it wasn't in the cards, and I don't waste any energy wishing for something that wasn't or isn't. I need all the energy I have to live my best life with my kiddo.

 

Here's my top five list:

 

1. Having control over my body, finances, and time. 

 

2. Knowing exactly what to expect when I walk in the door.

 

3. Pride in my home, my family, my values and my life choices (and never having to compromise any of them).

 

4. Embracing my spirituality without feeling ashamed of my faith.

 

5. The ability to pass these gifts along to my son in the most loving environment I am capable of creating for him.

 

P.S. I also love that this thread is eight years running...

post #444 of 477

I love that my kids do not dread coming home from school because dad is here

I love that they can go online without me worrying they will see porn (he never bothered to delete his downloaded videos or history)

I love that they don't have to be on eggshells all the time wondering when he would go off next

I love that I can have fun and be silly and loud with my kids without the noise 'bothering' him

I love that I can make whatever the kids and I want for dinner

I love that if dinner doesn't get made until 9pm because of school or sports practices that the kids don't mind and I won't be belittled or called a crappy mother for it

I love that the house doesn't have to be spotless 24/7 for fear of being called a slob

I love that I can play christian music without being told to 'turn that crap off' 

I love that my kids feel free to talk about anything openly without worrying about him overhearing and making fun

I love that we can attend church and come home happy and openly talk about it

I love that my daughter can come home with a crazy hair color and I can say it's just hair and not be told I'm an awful mom by him

 

I love that this baby I am carrying will be able to breastfeed as long as I want without hearing crap;

He will cosleep as long as I want and I won't hear crap; for my 7 yo still sleeping with me

He will not be circumcised and there is no argument

 

Ah. So many things.  I love reading this thread. Still haven't made my way through the whole thing yet lol 

post #445 of 477

 

Quote:
I love not having sex.  Seriously.

I loved this one!

I would also include this in my list - it was such an EFFORT.

Though in the future I do hope to know what a GREAT connection feels like.

post #446 of 477

I love that I don't have to feel guilty for co-sleeping with my daughter when my ex would get so angry about it!

post #447 of 477

So so many good ones already listed.

 

I love that my children are so relaxed/free/happy/expressive.

I love that we are a team.  It feels like an authentic family in a very new and different way.

I love that we have time apart, I can spend it like I want to.

I love that we rarely have to wait and wait and wait on anyone's selfish butt.

I can be me! I can be me! I can be me! And so my children are free to be themselves by the example I am setting.

post #448 of 477

A toast to us all! champagne.gif

post #449 of 477

I need to re read this. 

 

I love being able to re create my life without asking anyone else for their opinion first.
 

post #450 of 477


I want you all to know that I come here to be reminded of all of my blessings when I am super stressed out by single motherhood... thanks!

post #451 of 477

Perhaps I will chime in here to try and add a ray of positive energy to this situation... I am only very recently a single mom.. 2.5 weeks out, but this is what I have noticed and what I am appreciating so far:

 

1. My house stays clean after I clean it!!  Seriously, it's been 2 weeks since I last cleaned... and it's still clean!  This is a new record!

2. I only have to mother 1 little boy, not 1 little boy and 1 grown man.

3. I feel like I say half as much and accomplish twice as much - no more having to take the time out of my work day to remind him to do the dishes or take out the garbage; no more knowing that if I didn't remind him it wouldn't get done.  Now it just gets done.

4. Night time is MY time.  I haven't turned the tv on in 2.5 weeks! (at night, DS still watches during the day).  At night I hang out in my air conditioned room on my comfy bed in my comfy housecoat and read or write or meditate or just lie there and do nothing.

5. Nobody judges me for going to bed early because I'm tired from working and taking care of DS all day.

6. MY HOUSE IS CLEAN!!!!!

7. No more yelling at/chasing after the puppy all damn day long - she's gone to live with him. (this one is sad and good.. I never wanted a dog, that was all him and of course I ended up being the one to take care of her).

8. DS and I get to move into our very own apartment, filled with our things, designed the way we want it to look - and IT WILL STAY CLEAN!!!!

9. We plan for DS to spend alternate weekends with the ex, which means I get to sleep in every other weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10. MY HOUSE IS STILL CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

post #452 of 477

HAHA_ It's funny your house is clean because mine is sooo not- lol I hope you live close so you can come help me with mine!

 

Good luck to you and welcome to single motherhood!
 

post #453 of 477
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mom31 View Post

HAHA_ It's funny your house is clean because mine is sooo not- lol I hope you live close so you can come help me with mine!

 

Good luck to you and welcome to single motherhood!
 

 

It is pretty funny.. especially considering all these years I thought that I was the slob (that's what he always told me...) so it's nice to finally realize that it wasn't all my fault... my house is not super perfectly clean, but its a lot cleaner than it has been in several years!!!

post #454 of 477
Quote:
I want you all to know that I come here to be reminded of all of my blessings when I am super stressed out by single motherhood... thanks!

 

Quote:

I need to re read this. 

 

I love being able to re create my life without asking anyone else for their opinion first.

 

Quote:
A toast to us all! champagne.gif

I love that we rarely have to wait and wait and wait on anyone's selfish butt.

I can be me! I can be me! I can be me! And so my children are free to be themselves by the example I am setting.

 

yeahthat.gif   I also came here to re-read and remind myself. It's such a great thread!
 

post #455 of 477

Oh my goodness , I just stumbled over this thread and I was so mesmerized by it , that I read every single post , seriously !

This has come at such a perfect time for me and it has helped me see the light of my new life as a newly single woman !

Plus , I figure , if all you others can do it , so can I !

Thank you for this thread ! grouphug.gif

post #456 of 477

:) tonttu:)
 

post #457 of 477

Oh yeah , I also see the light in being a single Mother , like

 

- no more tip toeing and holding your breath before 10 am , so bf doesn´t wake up from his beauty sleep

- no more dealing with mood swings , because we don´t act the way , he expects us to ( which is totally irrational )

- no more " under the belt line " insults , simply because I am too tired to give him a blow job after being up from 6 am to 10 pm and going non-stop , while

  he is sitting at the computer , and he get´s mad , because I " can´t even spend time with him "

- no more money I have to spend on HIS cigarettes , because he doesn´t have a job and makes no effort to get one , or should I rather say , EVERY effort

  to avoid getting one

- my kids don´t need to be afraid of leaving their toys or crafts projects laying around , for fear of him stepping on them , which is their fault , not his ( in his

  words ) because they don´t pick their stuff up

- nobody calls my older kids insulting names , like " the little n.....s " !

- nobody calls me a whore , because I have had a boyfriend for 2 years when I was 16 and a husband , who I was married to for 11 years , before he died 9

  years ago and he never had a relationship before meeting me , which probably should have made me wonder about him now that I look back at the

  start of our relationship

- nobody calls me a crazy pet hoarder , because I have 2 cats and 4 dogs , all of whom I have had since they were babies and who are between 7 and

  16 years old ( except the 2 10-month-old puppies )

- I can do what I want , when I want it and the only schedules , I have to work around , is my kids´

- nobody makes fun of my hobbies anymore , or my kids´ hobbies , or calls us " weird " or " abnormal "just because we don´t like ice hockey and

  rockabilly music

- I don´t get dragged into any more pointless discussions about why he likes his native language ( finnish ) better than my native language ( german )

- I don´t get any lectures about , why I can´t even keep the house spotless with the " little bit " I have to do , while he constantly spills things ( that he doesn´t clean up ) or drops things ( that he doesn´t pick up ) or tramples on things ( that , he says , he didn´t leave laying there ) . Not that I understand  why he would step on it , I mean does it give you the right to plow over another person´s stuff , simply because YOU didn´t put it there ?

- I don´t have to hide food from him anymore , so that he doesn´t hurry up and eat it , before my kids get some or get in fights with him , because every time , we have cake or donuts or some special treat like that he goes " do the adults get 2 and the kids 1 ?" or " we ( the grow-ups ) should eat as much as we like and then give the kids the rest "  

 

 

OMG , after sitting back and reading some of the stuff , I went through these past few years , I am beginning to wonder , am I really that bad of a Mother , that I exposed what means most to me in the World , my wonderful children , to all this ? guilty.gif

Well , anyway , it feels great to have written it all down , thanks for letting letting me get it out of my system

post #458 of 477
Hugs toyou and good for you for getting out
post #459 of 477

NO MORE GASLIGHTING!

 

My husband only left a fortnight ago, so this is still very new and very raw. But of the things I will miss, I will never miss him gaslighting me

post #460 of 477

Well this thread is timely.

1. Tiny apartment for me and my DS that is clean, simple and doesn't smell funky. I have what we need and nothing extra.

2. No more dog- Sad and I really loved that dog but I simply could not work, take care of house, DS, dog/cat and all of the ex-demands and quirks that we exhausting. When he left the back yard with dog poop for 3 months because I refused to do it anymore, I knew I had to move on. He also refused to train him. He is 115lbs pounds and I would try to train him only to have him undo everything.

3. Out of debt except for a new Jeep I just bought. First new car in 10 years. He made fun of me for wanting another but I LOVE it.

4. Eating healthy- actually eating fruits and vegetables with meals and not just meat with more meat. no more spending $50 on junk food or special food for him because he hates everything I make. Add that to the fact that he had to put pounds of butter on everything WTF??? when he would cook. I felt like I was drinking straight grease.

5. Working out

6. Small home= more time with my DS and more time to explore.

7. More beach time/beach camping.

8. My stress level as dropped to nil and my work and home life have improved 110%- I used to think it was becuase I just didn't like my job or I couldn't do it. Finally figured out that it was ex's nagging that was killing me.

9. Apartment is decorated to what I LIKE. Yes, it's simple and looks like IKEA came in and decorated but I love it.

10. A fully adjusted 7 year old that loves me unconditionally, respectes my authority and keeps me having fun.

11. No more having to explain ex's shortcomings. He still thinks people didn't notice.

12. Quiet- we don't have a tv. I love it.

13. I am actually saving money for the first time in 10 years.

14. Social life skyrocketed. Parents invite me to everything and I enjoy going now. No more party pooper tagging along.

15. Watching my son play sports because he wants to, not because it's "manly"

16. Spending Christmas at the beach =AWESOME!!! surf.gif'

17. Be able to set up drying racks in the apartment and not having my craziness questioned.

18. Living green and frugal and not having my craziness questioned. Peace.gif

19. Having friends over and actually having fun.

20. Having a clean toilet and sink...HUGE..HUGE...HUGE!!!!!

21. No more feeling guility about not having sex. I can take it or leave it.

22. Being filled with joy and happiness EVERY DAY..I never thought it was possible.

23. No more dealing with his chronic illnesses= basically his excuses to be lazy as possible.

24. Being able to talk freely without him correcting me EVERYTIME I opened my mouth.

25. Realizing my dream of living at the beach is coming true without either the quiet treatment or laughing at me and telling me to be realistic.

26. No more explaining to my DS why daddy's sleep until almost noon and has no job since leaving the military 2 years ago.

27. No more being stressed when he drives like a monkey's butt, thinking everyone ELSE is the jerk.

28. Having my own opinion on guns, Jesus and sports.


Edited by accountclosed15 - 3/8/13 at 8:44am
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