Happy Birthday Mom!!!

In honor of my Mother's birthday, I thought I'd take some time to share a few things about her, explain how she's influenced my life, and express how I feel about her (seeing as how I'm her favorite child and all!).

Theresa Yvonne, born January 21, 19....... is a Mother of three; Brianna, Brittany(the coolest), and Brandon, and Wife to Mike. After finishing school and before starting her life as a Mother, Theresa joined the Army to serve her country and got to travel all around the world. After the military she became wifey, working woman, and Mom. To this day she is still all three of those things, doing awesome in each category.

My Mother has gone through hell and back, faced adversities, bleak income, bad neighborhoods, truly tough times, but always provided for her children. She is beautiful, strong, giving, caring, smart, funny(sometimes), and thoughtful. I am who I am today because of who she is. You truly don't know the hard work and sacrifice that goes in to being a parent, a single parent at that, until you become one in my opinion. Now that I am one I realize the mountains my Mother climbed, the oceans she swam, and the load she carried on her back as she did so just to give her kids lives of fulfillment and minimal lack of want. She is a person I can always count on no matter what the circumstances. She'd give me the shirt off of her back if I needed it without hesitation. People of that magnitude are hard to come by these days in our society. Even friends would agree to her generosity. She's pretty much the only consistency I've had in my life and for her I am thankful.

One day hopefully I can show you the amount of dedication and love that you've shown me Mom. No nursing home for you when you get old!! Thanks for putting up with my crap and my kid's crap! Oh and thanks for the "good hair"! Love you!!!!

So whats the fine print?

Can someone please explain to me why in today's society, people (typically men) see a woman with kids and practically run in the other direction? Granted there are women out there that are shady and lazy who are looking for someone to take care of them and be a Daddy to their kids, but in my experience the single Mothers I know including myself aren't even on that tip.

This issue seems to be one I keep encountering in this thing we like to call "dating". As we get older and find ourselves still searching or re-searching for the right one, its more likely that you'll meet people who have been married or have had kids. The statistics are just higher the higher in age. But why are these things looked at like such a huge negative?

Let me just set the record straight! I am the woman I am because of the woman I am, not because I have kids or because of the past relationships I've been in. Sure you can it baggage, but really who doesn't have some? It all depends on how you carry it in my opinion. I like to carry mine like a soldier; Properly supported on my back, not dragging on the floor behind me or weighing down my arms in front of me.

Perhaps men see a woman with kids and automatically tie negative characteristics to her. Like she's easy, she's irresponsible, she's needy.....but actually in my defense its all the complete opposite. A single Mother is automatically a pillar of strength. She created and is caring for a life other than her own. Regardless of the circumstances in which the child was conceived, it was kept. Responsibility was taken and owned up to. A Mother is selfless, any which way you look at it. She gives to her children before ever taking for herself. She's a nurturer, she's a lover, she's the ideal candidate of what a woman in her circumstances should be.

So please tell me why when men meet an attractive woman, mid twenties, with what seems like a good head on her shoulders, her having a child/children is her "fine print"? In my opinion a woman that is attractive, mid twenties, good head on her shoulders, and has kid being interested in you would make you one lucky son of a gun! If you see yourself as anything BUT that, keep it pushin'! Cuz there's nothing wrong with me for being a single Mother of two. I consider myself just ahead of the game....maybe you should take some notes and try to get on my level. I turn lemons into lemonade. How many people do you know that can do that? A single Mother turns adversity into happiness. She should be looked upon as a CATCH. Period.