When 'It's Official' Really Set In

So it's really, really official. I became a 'Single Mommy' right before Thanksgiving. It really hurt. 8.5 years, 1 child, and now it's done. The biggest challenge that I've faced is how to co-parent without impacting my daughter's schedule or happiness. I am thankful that she's young and resillient. Her father and I never co-habitated, so it wasn't as hard to deal with someone moving out, although he did take his things. I thought that it would be harder, but I'm dealing pretty well. Trust me, I have my moments (New Year's Eve was rough), but I stay strong for her. I stay strong because that's the only way I know how to live. I also think that not living together really helped me cope with my new status, because we've been apart more than we've been together since our daughter was born, so I was already used to having to do a lot of things on my own. He and I both love our daughter, and will work together to figure this out. We still love each other, but love is not enough. So I write this post in honor of all Mommies who have to do it on their own. It's hard, but the love of your child makes it all worth it. I would rather be single and teach my daughter what a healthy relationship looks like than to be in an unhappy one and teach her to settle. And this is not to say that her father and I will never have a future together. I truly do still love the man. We just can't have a present.

This post was not written out of sadness, but rather hopefully to share that I am O.K. by myself, and hope that there is another mom out there that can read this and have the same strength to say that she is okay too. Married or Single, Mommy hood is hard, but we are in this together!