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The day I stood watching my son’s father walk away, with his final words being "Have an abortion or do it on your own!". I was certain my life was over. That day marked the start of many changes, but little did I know with those painful words my destiny was born.
As a single mom, I often found myself feeling lost and isolated. I attended playgroups, and parent support groups and never met another single mother. I became accustomed to the support of many various resources including friends and family, but still found nothing to address the issues of single mothering. Online, I searched for single mother resources in the Seattle area and found dating sites. But, that was not what I needed.
As a single woman, I drove myself to the hospital to have my son alone. As a single mother, I drove us home and we had to walk the dog that afternoon. Everyday, I struggled with the fact that no one else would wake with my son in the night, that no one else would carry the grocery bags in or hold the baby while I did, that no one else would rock my screaming teething toddler.
Without ever getting a ‘break’, I struggled through sleep deprived moments of frustration and desperation and worried that we would not make it. I really needed to know I was not the only mother struggling with these issues!
Many studies suggest other single mothers feel the same: stressed and isolated. Research indicates, single mothers to be 40% more likely to become depressed, with the two main causes being stress and a lack of social support. The effects of maternal stress and depression can be devastating in the life of a child. As we all know, when a mom is stressed the children in her care are not getting the best of her, and sometimes may be getting the worst. I know, if you take care of the mother, you take care of the child. With this in mind, Single 2 Mother was conceived.
Today, I am the proud founder of a wonderful, important, and dynamic non-profit. I still think of the day I watched my son's father walk away with tears in my eyes. Only now, I know the secret blessings!
~ Randi J. Anderson, Single 2 Mother Founder www.single2mother.org based in Seattle, Washington.
About Single2Mother.org:
Single 2 Mother is currently a Seattle based organization with bi-monthly events and a resource sharing group. We are hoping to expand to other areas and would love to hear your suggestions. Single Mothers have the opportunity to band together to empower one another and the group to succeed in parenting, personal success, and life balance. The intention is to redefine support and family to include other single mothers. Eventually, we would like to have group 'family' vacations. We would also like to pool resources so families can enjoy special activities such as sharing season tickets to athletic team events, Argosy Cruise memberships, and group discounts on get-away. Mothers no longer have to struggle through the difficulties of parenting alone and can look to the group for positive outlets.
Website: www.single2mother.org
Email: Randi@single2mother.org
Groups: groups.yahoo.com/group/SeattleSingleMoms
Events & Message Line: 206.736.7734.
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