SHARING IS CARING

My plan is that I will write a struggle and triumph that I have experienced every week. please feel free to then share a triumph or struggle you have experienced. I hope this will be a way for us as human beings to share, connect, empower, and support each other on our journey through life.  

MY LIFE

I have been blessed with a supportive family who’ve helped me along my journey of raising my son. My parents have set a great example for me on the importance of being a parent and creating a stable environment. The father of my son has been absent throughout my pregnancy and up until my son was 6 months old. I had no other choice but to do this parenting gig on my own. In the beginning it was a challenge doing everything alone. I was blessed with all the help in the world from my family which turned the challenge into a blessing.  Now that my son is almost 9 months old I would prefer parenting on my own. My struggle of being a single parent has been the fact of allowing another person to be part of my parenting process. My son’s father decided that he wanted to be a part of the picture a couple months ago. After being a single parent since the time my son was born, how can I just allow someone else to step in and try to be of assistance? I have created stability for my son and I will not let his father interrupt that. I feel as though Bob’s (my son’s father) presence is more of a nuisance than a help for my son and I. Bob is almost 30 years old and has yet to get his life together. He is still working part time, not going to school, not trying to better himself. Based on the type of person Bob is, I feel guilty that he is the father I gave to my son. I will admit that I have a pretty rocky past as well. It took me having my son to get my butt in gear and be that person my son can be proud of. All I can do is focus on my son and I by do what I know is best for him, and that is providing him with a loving home, and a parent that he can be proud of. Bob’s life may be unstable right now and possible will continue to be, but as the mother of my son I will be the stability for him and that’s all I can do. I will not let the things I can’t control then control me.

My dream ever since I was little was to become a nurse and help people. In my family I was always the one holding the bucket for my sick siblings, getting a cold rag for their head, and making sure they are getting fluids. The nickname my family has given me is, “Nurse Aubrey”. My path of achieving my dream has been a rocky one with many road blocks along the way. I started school over four years ago, and got distracted by many things. For example, I was working part time to pay for school and then was caught up in getting more hours at work so I could make more money. As a result of working more my school work suffered and eventually I had to withdraw. I then met the love of my life (or so I thought) and was motivated again to accomplish my dream, making the decision to re-apply for classes. My relationship had ran its course and I unfortunately didn’t just lose sight of my goals but my identity as well. I then had to withdraw from school to find myself again. Weirdly enough I found who I was through experiencing being a single mother. Now my son has become my motivation to stay in school until I have graduated. I have two more terms left and I can then apply for nursing school. My biggest triumphs was not only finding myself but, the fact that I am the mother, sister, daughter, and almost nurse that my family and I can be proud of.

Anything is possible if you just believe. Throughout my life I have lacked this belief in my religion, family, and self. Based on my struggles and triumphs as a single mother I am the type of person I have always wanted to be. I am a strong independent women who loves god, my family, and myself. I have experienced and know for a fact that if you believe in yourself than you can do anything you set your mind to. Life may throw impossible things at you for example, an absent father for your son, or a dead end job that you get sucked into but, you will overcome them all if you just believe in yourself. Focus on your triumphs more than struggles and there will be nothing in life that you are unable to handle.