Burdens of Single Parenthood

Returned from our visit/vacation all in one piece.  Spent about 8 hours with my husband over the course of two days and spent the rest of the time enjoying a mini vacation.  After 6 days on the road with 3 kids all I have to say is " Why would anyone choose to be a single parent?"  I was more stressed out on the ride home than I was on the way down.  Don't misunderstand me, overall we had a really nice time and everyone had fun...but! 

It is the natural being of teenagers to complain about everything,  the color of the hotel, the kind of lawn mower they use, the traffic, the food, the rooms, the size of the hotel, too sunny, not enough sun, too hot, too cold and on and on.  And yet after all the complaints I knew they were actually enjoying themselves and having fun.  Why can't they tell me that they had fun, thank you Mom, the food was good and we enjoyed the beach. 

My nerves were raw by the time we headed home because I kept trying to tell myself that this is how they are, they really can't help it.  Unfortunately the top blew off the bottle in the car over the last hour drive.  I needed to vent and that was the end of the vacation. 

I missed my husband on vacation for a number of reasons but one of the main ones was to help absorb all the "teenager vibes" and direct them over two people instead of just one.  Thinking of a sponge, two sponges will absorb the same amount of liquid as one but not get as wet and heavy.  I needed someone to share the weight. 

I missed having him there just to share time and in the decision making.   You don't realize how many decisions you need to make while on vacation, like which hotel to stay at and where and what to eat for dinner.  You pick the wrong dinner choice and then you get to listen to the complaining all during dinner.  Don't ask the kids what they would like for dinner because they will just say "I don't know" or "I don't care" but pick the wrong one and you will here about it.   Ugh!  

Traveling with three kids as a single parent, I guess, is not any more fun than living with them everyday as a single parent.  When people give up so easily on marriages and opt for the life of a single parent it still amazes me.  I understand that for some people it is necessary, but I know some people personally who just quit when things got a bit too hard.  In my opinion, being a single parent is so much harder than working on a marriage that I would take the marriage any day.  Sure, there is some one to share the joys with but better yet, there is someone there to share all the burdens.