I have full custody of my kids and I work. As much as I encourage my ex husband to participate more in their lives, he claims he’s just too busy working. I get that I guess, since I have worked 3+ jobs at a time for most of my single-parent career.
Primarily working from home helps a lot. There is no mad panic when city schools are closed for snow, federal holidays or administration issues. But there is plenty of guilt.
The old days used to have me planning sledding trips or outings on these days—or just being with my kids. Now I can’t. Deadlines and work commitments mean I am at the computer for most of the day while my kids are left in another part of the house. Usually on some electronic device. I hate that.
My post divorce life was very lean in the beginning. Like, below poverty level. I managed to dig myself out of that hole, and I tell myself that is the bigger priority—not sledding down a hill with my kids or field trips to a museum. But then I see how other parents with two intact leaders work together to make the days off with their kids special and I get a little bitter. And so with spring break coming up I get conflicted. I’m happy that business is good and I’m rapidly paying down the debt my divorce cost me, but these days are flying by and I want to hit the pause button sometimes while the kids are still young enough to call me “mommy.”
I still have a week to figure this out.