I Am Not a Single Mother

I am not a single mother nor do I feel like one. My husband is home more days than he is at work and I do not and have not endured the hardships my mother faced trying to raise her children minus a viable spouse. She would have loved to have a husband who is home approximately 20 days a month; and she would loved to have help with the kids and not have to work full time job at a crappy job where she was under paid and under appreciated. 

My mother would've loved the opportunity to stay at home and fully focus on her family. She would've loved to sew Halloween costumes and not choose between overtime or open house. She would've loved to wake up to an awesome husband a fraction of the times I get to wake up to my husband; even with his ff schedule. She would've loved to have someone see the stress on her face from a rough day with the kids and have someone take them out if only for and hour for ice cream or a walk around the block so she could regain a fraction of her sanity. My mother would've loved to simply...........love. 

So when I'm home alone; when my husband's on his 24hr shift, and when my emotions drift to even the thought of my lips uttering the words, "single mother", I'm reminded my husband and I CHOSE to live this life and my mother, like many other single mothers, DIDN'T CHOOSE to be single but were rather victims of circumstance. 

If the old adage, "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is truly true, my mother's heart is brimming with fondness. I know nothing of that kind of absence and don't desire to know. The 24hrs my husband is away is a blessing if that's the most I have to be away from him for the duration of our life together. I'm not complaining. I can't allude to, joke, or flippantly call myself a "single mother". If I do, I risk diminishing the struggles of single mothers like my mom.  

Fiery Wife