Can you imagine if you went to work every day in a big clear bubble where your day to day, minute to minute, actions were on display? Would it change the way you did your job?
We've been blessed beyond words to have lived with family for the past year and a half, and I can unquestionably say that the benefits have outweighed the sacrifices.
Sometimes, though, I feel like my job as a mom is on display. Knowing the people around us, I know how they would handle a situation or have handled it in the past; I know where they think my weaknesses are; I know their concerns about a single mom raising a strong willed child; I know its exasperating to hear a young child use their super-powered banshee scream when they don't get their way. And I have to try my hardest to ignore all of that, all the while having a 3 (now 4 - I started writing this post months ago) year old, who is already smarter than me, trying his hardest to win a battle of wills.
Its tough. It has become a skill (that I'm still trying to master!) to cancel out all of the noise and be authentic to myself as a parent. I certainly don't have a crystal ball and I even more certainly make mistakes, but in the end I know I am the one who is raising a boy to be a kind, responsible, respectful, empowered individual. I trust myself to be the best parent I can, and to get help when I need it.
Parenting with an audience has been a tough journey. It has led me to seek advise and techniques to compensate for my weaknesses. And in the end it has just strengthened my own resolve and authenticity as a mom.
Stories, insights and adventures from a single mom and her little man.
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