“If you have no arms To hold your crying child but your own arms And no legs but your own to run the stairs one more time To fetch what was forgotten I bow to you If you have no vehicle To tote your wee one but the wheels that you drive And no one else to worry, “Is my baby okay?” When you have to say goodbye on the doorsteps of daycare or on that cursed first day of school I bow to you If you have no skill but your own skill To replenish an ever-emptying bank account And no answers but your own to Satisfy the endless whys, hows, and whens your child asks and asks again I bow to you If you have no tongue to tell the truth To keep your beloved on the path without a precipice And no wisdom to impart Except the wisdom that you’ve acquired I bow to you If the second chair is empty Across the desk from a scornful, judging authority waiting For your child’s father to appear And you straighten your spine where you sit And manage to smile and say, “No one else is coming—I’m it.” Oh, I bow to you If your head aches when the spotlight finally shines on your child because your hands are the only hands there to applaud I bow to you If your heart aches because you’ve given until everything in you is gone And your kid declares, “It’s not enough.” And you feel the crack of your own soul as you whisper, “I know, baby. But it’s all mama’s got.” Oh, how I bow to you If they are your life while you are their nurse, tutor, maid Bread winner and bread baker, Coach, cheerleader and teammate… If you bleed when your child falls down I bow, I bow, I bow If you’re both punisher and hugger And your own tears are drowned out by the running of the bathroom faucet because children can’t know that mamas hurt too Oh, mother of mothers, I bow to you. —Toni Sorenson” LifeCourageHonorMotherhoodParentsParenthoodMothersFathersSingle MothersSingle Fathers Author:Toni Sorenson
“I still had fifteen cents that I hadn't given to Pa, and I was using it that afternoon to buy candy for my sisters. Abby had her monthlies and was feeling awfully blue. She'd had the cramp something wicked that morning and had to lie down until it passed, and Pa asked me why she wasn't in the barn milking with the rest of us like he always does because he forgets, and then I had to explain and he got mad at me because it made him embarrassed.” FathersEmbarrasmentSingle Fathers Book:A Northern Light Source: A Northern Light
“When you tell a single parent you love them or you want to date them, its not like the conventional love or dating... what they call love is care, empathy, understanding and respect from a perspective that is beyond just saying I LOVE YOU. They have loved, they have seen; there is nothing you'll offer that is different. All they need is peace of mind and if you are not coming to give that, please leave them alone with their kids” LoveSingle MothersSingle Fathers Author:Victor Vote