My Stint as a Single Parent

A few months ago (I started this post about a month and a half ago and it got left on the shelf for a while obviously), Missy had the opportunity to have a "Girls Weekend". Since Riley was born, she never had a "Girls Weekend". I have had one or two "Boys Weekend" a year since he was born. So it was time. And I was excited for her.

But that meant that Riley and I were bach'ing (that is my hip made up verb for bachelor - you know like no girls, I'm an idiot) it for the weekend. Now he and I have had numerous days together mostly when Missy was at work. But we have never had an overnight much less two. So as much as I wanted Missy to have a great time away, I was, let's call it, curious to see how it would go with the two of us.


I decided to take Riley to our house in Maryland for the weekend. First, my family was going to be there so I would have some help with Riley. Secondly, all summer all he had been asking about is the "Bayhouse, Boatride and Beach".

Riley typically is not a great sleeper at the Bay. I don't know if he knows that he could be experiencing the "Boatride and Beach" portions of the weekend at any time or what. But he doesn't do a lot of sleeping and this weekend was no different. However, the problem this time was that I couldn't really trade off with Missy while Riley was not sleeping. At night, I couldn't sleep while she got up with him or vice versa. Naps were no different. After one sleepless night, I was ready for a nap myself. However, rather than actually sleeping, Riley discovered that he was now big enough to climb out of his crib. Good times all around.

Overall, the weekend ended up going pretty well. It was great to have my family there. They certainly helped and provided me with some moments of relaxation. However, when it came to the overall parenting duties, I was on my own and it wore me out. And that was just one kid. For one weekend.

When I think about a single parent, more specifically a single mom, the picture that comes to mind is an exasperated woman out at the store with crying kids climbing all over her. When I was young and ignorant, I would think, "Wow, what a bad parent. Why can't she control her kids?" Now, and especially after that weekend, I think, "Wow. She is amazing. She has the energy to WALK!"

In my little weekend trip with Riley, I gained a new and tremendous appreciation for single parents. Parenting is tough. It is draining. Even when you can split duties. If it is just one person, I can't imagine how one would do it. I was alone with Riley for a little over 48 hours and I felt like I had run three marathons (actually I may have trying to chase him around and put his pajamas on).

Not only did I gain appreciation for single parents I gained appreciation for Missy. She is so tremendously organized in getting Riley's "stuff" (of which there is a lot) together for every trip out of the house - trips to the store, the beach, the restaurant. I practically forgot the child himself when we went places. There are so many things that she does to make our lives and Riley's life run smoothly and I didn't even realize it until that weekend.

Finally, I gained even more appreciation for Riley. He is such a good boy. He is beautiful. He is so incredibly sweet. His love and excitement for life and everything in it should be bottled up and sold. When I go through my day, I look forward to resting, watching TV and eating snacks. Riley stands in awe of nature - birds, water, sand, fishies, flowers, leaves, worms. His sole focus in life is to enjoy it. Obviously, he doesn't have the worries and concerns that I do. However, I could take a page from his life's playbook once in a while. And the times I do are the instances when I smile the most.

All in all, it was good weekend. For lots of reasons. Missy got her Girls Weekend in. Riley and I had our Boys Weekend. Missy got to rest. I got to think about Missy resting. Most importantly, I got to spend wonderful time with my son who was able to teach his dad a few things about life.