A Parent’s Love

“I feel like I failed as a mother.” These words broke my heart because as a mother, a single mother, I could totally relate.

I think many of us, as parents, often feel as if we are missing the mark. As if we could have done more – like we coulda, shoulda, woulda done more for our children. I often feel like this regarding my own children.

Being a single mother has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done to date. This includes all of my time in the military, time down range (deployed), even the horrid years leading up to and following my divorces. There are so many pieces to being a single mother that no one could ever prepare you for. When I had my children, I never planned to raise them on my own. I never planned to have to maneuver the various stages of growth in three very different children on my own. Thankfully, God has blessed me with kiddos that are respectful, loving, and don’t give me any major issues.

Still, there are moments, as parents, that we may find ourselves feeling like failures.

I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful little boy who is the product of parents who were never together, save for one night. Try as they may to co-parent, there are struggles. I was reminded of myself, at the beginning of having to get used to my ex-husband being remarried, when the mother became more than a little upset and demanded that her child not be around woman.

Being able to take a front row seat, on the outside looking in, I saw the pain in the son’s eyes, the pain in father’s eyes, and the pain that mother felt.

I don’t know, I could be wrong, but I don’t believe that anyone ever intends to have a baby on their own. I don’t know of any young gal that didn’t dream of the wedding, marriage, children. Never is single-parenthood really a choice anyone decides to make on their own… Is it?

Still, as a parent loves, there are sacrifices that are made. Whether we make concession after concession in the name of peace, or whatever the case, we do so for our children. We do it because at the end of the day, our love for our child is greater than any pain we may experience. It’s greater than any pride we may hold.

God did this. As our loving Father, He sent His Son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice for us. In laying down His life, as the blood sacrifice, as the atonement for our sins, that we may live, that we may have hope in Jesus, hope for a future, HOPE.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV

*Original Image by Yours Truly