This week, due to a family emergency I became a temporary single parent on short notice. My wife's aunt is in the hospital after suffering a stroke and she drove down to Iowa City within 15 minutes of when I got home from work on Monday. Now I've had Heather gone a few times in the past when she's gone out of town for a girl's weekend and such, but I always knew it was coming, she had pre-cooked meals so I had leftovers and generally was prepared. This has to my recollection always been on the weekend as well, so I never had to worry about getting my son ready for school, getting to work, picking him up and so forth.
It's only been 2 nights and 2 days but I have a new level of respect for single parents. I've had a lot of help even these 2 days. My Mother-in-Law has been getting Alex off the bus and watching him until I can pick him up (although there was a snag today because she was running late, but a neighbor helped out.) My son has also had supper at her house so even though I've mentally figured out what we were going to have, I haven't actually had to cook anything.
I've always known my wife does a lot around the house, but I've been trying to keep it clean so that when she gets home she doesn't have to worry about that too. She does more than I ever know, and I know that even the best I do won't be half as good as she normally does. If I were a single parent my son and I would live in a much smaller place simply so there's less to clean.
I've always had respect for single parents who do it easy. One of my Sisters-in-Law has become my go-to example of this. She has raised a lovely daughter while willingly putting her social life on the back burner so that she could focus on being a parent first. I've always silently admired how effortless she makes it look but after these past few days I needed to let her, and all the single parents out there know that they are appreciated.
My wife will likely be back tomorrow, and we'll go back to our normal routine and I'll get a break. Single parents don't get that break nearly as often as a two parent home obviously, but hopefully they know that they have the most important job in the world in shaping that young person and that their sacrifices are noticed by others.
