My husband was out of town last week for a business trip. He was gone from a Friday to Wednesday night, but to me it seemed like an eternity. It's not even that my son is all that challenging, he's actually a great kid who is pretty easy-going. But, my husband's absence made me realize that when I am becoming frustrated with my son, I often look at the clock and calm myself down with the realization that he will be home in X hours to give me a break. That knowledge alone is enough to help me regroup and regain patience with my son. When my husband was gone, I didn't have that buffer and I found that I was really struggling to remain sane during the trying times. Luckily, I was able to retain my composure for the most part, and I hope that my son is none the worse for wear.
The experience really made me have respect for single parents. I suppose that if you never had a significant other to help you share the burden of child-rearing, you find other outlets for your frustrations so that you don't take them out on your children; but, if you are accustomed to having help, the lack of help really creates a void. The experience also helped me to realize how much my husband really helps out when he is around. He can sense when I'm getting to the end of my rope and swoops in to entertain our son or distract him. It's also wonderful to see how our son missed him when he was gone - every time we'd see his car in the driveway while he was away, our son would say "daddy's car", and be seemingly disappointed when we got inside and there was no daddy. Most of all, I think I really understand the concept of "it takes a village to raise a child". When my son was most challenging, it was wonderful to be able to go to a friend or neighbor's house and let him play with the other kids and just get a breather (or have a sounding board).
Bottom line is, to all single parents...I salute you. I hope that you have a great support network of friends and family to turn to in your trying times as I do!
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