WattMag: Spooky November Issue

Perfectly Imperfect Parents

Title: Perfectly Imperfect Parents 

Topic: Single Parents 

Written by: TilapiangWriter

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind whenever you see a family so happy together? Let’s say you’re in some kind of park and you see a mom and a dad playing with their young little girl. They look so happy together and you can’t help to raise both corners of your lips as you watch them over. Hmmm, I guess that would what a happy family with full of love and laughter would look like. But what if one of the parents started to fade away, like a cloud which had out wept its rain?

"Being a single parent is twice the work, twice the stress and twice the tears but also twice the hugs, twice the love and twice the pride."  -Anonymous

There are many reasons why a single parent had become one. It is either through death of a life partner, divorce, annulment, abandonment or by choice. But honestly, it won’t really make any difference whatever the reason is. They’d be still facing a lifetime of happiness and of course a hell lot of hardships.

Parenthood is tough and very much tougher when you’re all on your own. You have to do everything a mother and a father does at the same time. You have to make sure of your children’s safety, you’ve got to send them to school, clean the whole house while they’re busy playing, you got to keep your eye on them 24/7, stay up late at night and watch them sleep, go all frantic whenever they get high fever, attend school meetings, pour them all your attention, buy their needs, and of course you also need to earn a living.

You have to be the “Haligi ng Tahanan” and at the same time, “Ilaw ng Tahanan” for them. You have to teach those moral lessons and a lot of things that teachers do not teach them at school. You have to be always there for them whenever they need your support or not. No matter how mad you are at the things that they’ve done that are not good for you, once they say “sorry” you will have no choice but to open your arms wide and cage him with your love, not because what they’ve done doesn’t matter to you anymore, but because he’s your child, you love him so damn much, and he’s the only one you got.

Whenever I see or hear stories about single parents, I cannot help but to get all teary. Each story really touches my heart. How they sacrifice and their will to give them everything they can, their undying love for their kids, is something I can state heroic. Yes, for me single parents are one of our today’s heroes. If only the government could give them some kind of recognition, an award that could tell them how much they are being admired in the society. Especially those single moms or dads that raises more than three kids!

"There will be so many times you feel like you've failed. But in the eyes, heart and mind of your child, you are his super mom and dad!”  -Anonymous

                           

I wonder how kids that grew up with only a mom or a dad would thank their parent. What things can they say to them? How is it like to grow up with a parent that is both your mom and your dad? I’m sure it is not some piece of cake either. Living with one parent instead of two can bring out a lot of emotions. These feelings can be pretty strong, and they can be confusing, too.

They will have to face growing up with only having one parent, unlike their friends or their classmates. As a child that really sucks, seeing every kid on your block being hugged by both of their mommy and daddy, unlike you, you will forever be clueless of how that would feel. You will always have that emptiness in your heart that nothing can mend.