Single mothers deserve praise for tough job, not disrespect
As first appeared in Beaumont Enterprise Mother’s Day May 2010
I loved my mother. She was a woman of the “Greatest Generation.” They taught by example and earned our respect. These days I see another group of women that are worthy of respect—single mothers. There are over twelve million in the United States. I know many of them personally. They all face challenges.
Lana copes with Lupus while she attends college to become a nurse. Mary has raised two boys to become responsible young men while she works for a nonprofit that benefits neglected children in the community and she serves in a leadership role in a large Beaumont church. Brenda deals with disabling pain while she maintains a positive approach to life as an example to her children. Alice works and provides a stable environment for her young son. Darya, relocated after hurricane Katrina, faces challenges with her child in new schools.
Sheri struggles to keep her head above water as an independent business owner while she is mother to two teenagers. Tonya manages complicated health issues of her children while she teaches them to be respectful of others, respect she may not receive from the community around her.
All these moms are doing their very best without much, if any, assistance from the fathers of their children.
We formed to offer a day of treats and guidance for these moms. SMORE™ is an alliance of women whose goal is Single Mothers – Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Encouraged! We host special “Days of Blessings” for single moms and equip other organizations to do the same using our model. The experience is often life-changing for the single mom guests.
After one of our “Days” Lana said, “I felt the love as soon as I walked through the door. Everything was so up-close and personal. I can truly say this was the best day ever.” Mary commented, “My first thought was, I must be dreaming because it was too good to be true, too good for me.”
LaTasha said, “It was such a blessing to feel the love that was present. As single moms, we don’t get days that are filled with events just for us. It was rejuvenating.” And Charmaine said what many others have affirmed, “It's a day that I will always cherish and remember. Thank you SMORE for a lifetime memory.”
Mother’s Day is bittersweet for single mothers. They love their children as other moms do. And they are there when Dad doesn’t show up. They are there alone in the night when the child’s fever rises and a virus takes hold. They are there when life’s little, and not so little, disappointments happen.
On Mother’s Day, young children don’t even know what they might do for Mom. Older ones can’t afford to do much. So single moms spend Mother’s Day like every other day: caring for and mothering their children.
This Mother’s Day what if you told a single mother how much you admired her? What if you gave her a card with a gift card inside? What if you just gave her a hug and said, “You are doing a great job!”
Lana copes with Lupus while she attends college to become a nurse. Mary has raised two boys to become responsible young men while she works for a nonprofit that benefits neglected children in the community and she serves in a leadership role in a large Beaumont church. Brenda deals with disabling pain while she maintains a positive approach to life as an example to her children. Alice works and provides a stable environment for her young son. Darya, relocated after hurricane Katrina, faces challenges with her child in new schools.
Sheri struggles to keep her head above water as an independent business owner while she is mother to two teenagers. Tonya manages complicated health issues of her children while she teaches them to be respectful of others, respect she may not receive from the community around her.
All these moms are doing their very best without much, if any, assistance from the fathers of their children.
We formed to offer a day of treats and guidance for these moms. SMORE™ is an alliance of women whose goal is Single Mothers – Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Encouraged! We host special “Days of Blessings” for single moms and equip other organizations to do the same using our model. The experience is often life-changing for the single mom guests.
After one of our “Days” Lana said, “I felt the love as soon as I walked through the door. Everything was so up-close and personal. I can truly say this was the best day ever.” Mary commented, “My first thought was, I must be dreaming because it was too good to be true, too good for me.”
LaTasha said, “It was such a blessing to feel the love that was present. As single moms, we don’t get days that are filled with events just for us. It was rejuvenating.” And Charmaine said what many others have affirmed, “It's a day that I will always cherish and remember. Thank you SMORE for a lifetime memory.”
Mother’s Day is bittersweet for single mothers. They love their children as other moms do. And they are there when Dad doesn’t show up. They are there alone in the night when the child’s fever rises and a virus takes hold. They are there when life’s little, and not so little, disappointments happen.
On Mother’s Day, young children don’t even know what they might do for Mom. Older ones can’t afford to do much. So single moms spend Mother’s Day like every other day: caring for and mothering their children.
This Mother’s Day what if you told a single mother how much you admired her? What if you gave her a card with a gift card inside? What if you just gave her a hug and said, “You are doing a great job!”