Single Parent
Sorry, I haven't posted anything for so long.
The last 11 days have been a big lesson for me. I had the experience of single parenthood.
Lucky for me, my wife hasn't left permanently (or worse). We aren't suffering any real loss, Mummy is coming back -soon!
It's pretty scary, though.
The children's sense of loss was real, though they soon adjusted to the fact that it would be just the three of us for a while. They have never been isolated from their mother for more than a day. Ken especially has a deep dependence on his mother. I had been looking forward to this opportunity to wear it down a bit.
Getting over the loss - impermanent though it is - has not been as difficult for them as I had expected. Leaving Mummy at the airport, and the first evening, getting to sleep, was quite painful (painful emotionally for them - and painful for me to watch). But by the next night, they had largely gotten over the separation and we were checking the calendar for the date of our queen's return.
Thanks to Skype (and other modern blessings like the "vine" app.) we could see and talk to Yuki every night, making her absence much easier to take.
Domestic Challenges
My heart goes out to all the real, actual single parents out there. Raising kids is hard work for a couple, doing it on your own is just insane!
I don't want to seem like I am complaining, but I have to tell the truth.
Laundry, cooking, cleaning, managing the children's affairs - taking them to their kindergarten and bringing them home every day, making sure that all their needs are attended to - it is practically a full-time job.
They wake up before sunrise.
I'm pretty lazy, generally speaking. I wouldn't get up before lunchtime, if I didn't have to.
Lucky for me, I have been able to substantially cut down my work load this month. Though I'm still working 6 out of 7 days-a-week, I don't have to go out at night, and most days I only have one or two appointments to keep.
That means I have time to rest and manage the household chores while the kids are at their kindy. How hard must it be to raise a young family and, at the same time, work a full working week?
So, we've all gained a huge appreciation for our beloved mother (and wife), over the eleven or so days that she's been away.
Yuki (Mummy), we love you.
Comments
Post a Comment