Singleparenting is too hard for me!

God bless the single parents out there today. I’m thankful not to be one of them…I’m not enough in so many ways!

Sadie Hope, my two year granddaughter is staying with me for three days while her parents are out of town. She’s delightful, adoring, affectionate, fun, engaging and I’m totally unprepared to single parent her for even 72 hours!

I know there are plenty of moms and dads whose life path has put them in this category (about 26% of all children raised in the USA this year) but I’m confident I am not prepared for life as a single parent. Child care at this age is 24/7…my sleeping is light because I need to be ready if she wakes up, or falls out of bed, or needs something to drink or any number of things. I’m tired from all the events I planned trying to be super “grandparent” and so from the time we get up until we fall asleep, we move from one BIG THING to another. Even breakfast at my house is a BIG THING because I want her to remember Papa Bill’s breakfast time.

I’ve never valued naptime for her and me as much as I do this week.

I overplanned…not doubt. Midway through, we’ve done playland at Chick-fil-a, Monkey Joe’s a playland with climbing apparatus and slides with dozens of kids screaming and climbing. I tried to do email and return calls while there today but you can’t take your eyes off her for a moment or she gets her foot caught in a web like material that is designed to keep the kids from falling.

Tomorrow is the trip to zoo in Cleveland, weather-permitting. I think I’m inwardly praying for rain! Not proud of it…just honest.

Jason’s flight gets in tomorrow evening.  Sadie and I will both be exhausted by then and perhaps we will even been awake when mom and dad arrive. If not, we’ll catch them at Thursday’s BIG BREAKFAST event…

Both my sons and their wives have small kids…4 of them (all under age 7) and two more on the way by summer and fall…my kids and their mates are highly esteemed in my books. I wish I had their stamina.

But then, I’m 53.