I’ve been technically single – not married or in a de facto relationship – for eight years. When people express their concern or confusion about this, I tell them that the problem must be that I’m bad in bed.
Lol lol lol. As if that could possibly be true.
The fact of the matter is, I am the only adult in my house and I love it.
I’m not a widow. I’m divorced, and I’m the one who did the leaving. This is how I want my life, so why do some people have an issue with it? Why does it make them so uncomfortable?
Why do they tell me that they feel sorry for me because I’m “alone”? That my life is much harder than theirs because I’m not married?
When I left my ex, his other ex-called me and warned, “Being a single parent is hard.”
I told her, “It can’t possibly be as hard as that marriage.” And it never has been.
Don’t get me wrong – being a sole parent, in a single-income home, which is what I am, as I don’t share custody, is hard work. I can’t emphasise that enough.
Listen to this single mum explain how she became smart about money. (Post continues after audio.)
But – and this is a big but – I don’t know any co-parenting parent, or married parent, who doesn’t find that parenthood is bloody hard work. We all have our issues, and our crosses to bear. That’s life.
Most of my married friends don’t need to worry about being the sole bread-winner. They can usually pop to the shops for milk at 9pm, which I couldn’t do until recently. They have support from the other parent of their child to help make decisions and deal with the day’s dramas.
But they don’t always have that. Not every married home is a peaceful one, with both parents equally invested in and active with the kids. Not every married couple agrees on the big decisions for their family.
But every person does have the right to determine how they run their own show – decide which compromises they are willing to make – and we should all respect that.
While the responsibility is 100 percent mine, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m often exhausted, and my life is crazy busy – but when I walk in the door each night, or wake up in the morning, I’m high on freedom – and that’s the absolute truth.
This is my space, what I say goes. No arguments about whose turn it is to do anything, ever. No tedious discussions. No disappointment or frustration that someone else hasn’t done what they were supposed to, and I don’t drive anyone else nuts, because I am responsible for it all. And while that might sound overwhelming to some, to me, it means freedom. And peace.
Top Comments
Why do people have an issue with it? Because society expects women to be victims. Because a woman's worth is measured in part by whether she is in a relationship. You've bucked both trends. There is no nice, neat, polite box in which to put you. That makes people uneasy.
I envy you. I wish I had the strength to leave my c**t of a husband. Marriage sux.