Comments to Never Make to a Single Mom

I know we've all done it, I may have ignorantly made a comment under my breath as a youngster about how a parent couldn't handle their screaming child[ren] at the supermarket check out. I am now that parent. Our daily life tasks and to-do lists are difficult enough with kids yet we seemingly have to deal with ignorant comments from people that don't know or are unable to comprehend our actual struggles. Here are just a few that irk me:

1. The "oh my god my child will NEVER act like that in public!" I apologize for the fact that my child refused to take his nap today and decided to unleash his inner Emily Rose in aisle 2, but I also apologize for wishing inevitable karma on you as well. #sorrynotsorry

2. "I would never let my child talk to me that way!" Yes on occasion my 3 year old says shut up before he can catch himself. He also now thinks the biggest insult he can yell at me is "STOP IT MOMMY YOU'RE BEING WEIRD!" I'm a firm believer in spanking and other forms of reprimand however when your child has ADHD the way you react to impulsive behavior differs from a normal child's. In the end, it was handled.

3. "Don't worry, you'll meet a nice guy someday." Did I have a look of loneliness and misery written all over my face or something? It was probably from the 4 hours of sleep I got after my double shift and my toddler waking me up to red lipstick all over the living room carpet at 6 am. The last thing I need is to be raising is TWO male children. Thank you.

4. "Where is the child's father again?" If you're rude enough of a person to even ask this question you'd better prepare for the rude response I will unleash.

5. "Can't you just make him/her stop crying/screaming?" You're obviously not a parent so I'll just leave it at that.

6. "Why can't you just get a sitter?" This ones my favorite. I think single, non parents think it's the easiest thing in the world to just dial up a young teen with no life to drop their math homework to come relieve you for a night out on the town. I can't even always find someone to watch my son for me to go to work let alone anything else. So don't be alarmed when we snap at you with some sarcastic comment after RSVP'ing a 'no' to girls night. 

Sure I could come up with more but other than my anxiety levels that are already rising, what would be the fun in that? 😉 

Just remember - everyone's children are unique and some are dealing with unique instances. Not every parent believes in punishment. Some have kids with ADD, ADHD, Autism and others. So before you try and throw in your two cents, just remember you're not in our shoes. You may have been in the single mom shoes before but not with our specific child or children. So be gracious and be polite. 

Sincerely,

A Single Mom Thats Tired of Rude People