As a little kid, I never understood what a huge responsibility it was for my mother to be a single parent. The challenges she faced every day trying to take care of me, maintain a job and a life of her own were a lot to juggle. Despite all the ups and downs, my mother made it through.
Like with most Black children today, my father wasn’t present for the majority of my life. I had no father figure to look up to, guide me or advise me in ways that my mother couldn’t. It was just my mother and me. We were all we had, and that was all I knew.
The fact that I didn’t have a father didn’t bother me, because my mother filled the void.
When it was just my mother and me, I felt like the world was placed at my fingertips and nothing could go wrong.
My mother showered me with love and affection, which felt like it came from two parents.
I can remember as a little kid when it was time for PTA meetings, student conferences or plays, both of my friends’ parents would attend.
I, on the other hand, would have only the support of my mother there. She did it all and for that I am truly grateful.
My mother has been the constant driving force in my life because of all the things she has gone through and overcome. She sets the standard for impossible and goes beyond it.
Raising me, my mother had two jobs: she was a teacher full-time and a cashier part-time.
She made it her mission to always have clothes on my back, a roof over my head, shoes on my feet, and a homecooked meal to supply my every need.
Even the things I didn’t need she always managed to get them for me, although I probably wasn’t deserving them.
My mother carried a heavy load, and the fact that she managed all by herself says a lot.
You never know what a person goes through until you experience it. I commend the single parents and what they have to go through to provide for their families. It is truly commendable.
The role of parenting shouldn’t fall upon one person; it is the task of two individuals. But when one lacks in his or her parental role, it is placed upon the other to become both parents.
My mother guided me to becomie the person I am. Had it not been for her, who knows where I would be or what I would be doing.
She sacrificed for me and continues to do so until this day. She is my hero, and for everything she has done for me I can never repay her. My mother is all I know and without her I would be at a total loss.
Single parents are truly paving the way for our future.