Recognizing the Hard Work of a Single Parent Labels. People constantly live with labels. They can call it in different names- reputation, privilege, or rank in a certain society. It is how they view others and how others view them. Most of the time, labels are either overrated or underrated because of their jobs, status, and social standing in society. She was in the highest point in her life. She had her dream job after six years of working so hard. She is looked up to by her peers and she is the epitome of success. That is, until she took the pregnancy test. The result was positive. Her life became negative. It changed forever. People looked at her differently as her womb becomes more noticeable. Whispers heard behind her back. She is called a flirt, a whore. People judge her more, regard her as less. Jobs denied, jobs declined. Once the baby is out, she has to keep the tears in. Survival mode is on. The guilt churns inside of her eating her up. She goes to work bare-faced, plain-clothed. She did not have time to put on make-up because she was up all night feeding her baby until she fell asleep. Besides, who will she dress up for? And for what? She has already created an offspring from her self-centered actions. She has nobody to impress but people will judge her nonetheless. After juggling job after job, her work is not finished. She still needs to look after her child. She has to make sure her schedules are clear for her daughter’s important events. She cooks breakfast ahead and stays beside her daughter until she falls asleep. She wakes up and another round of torture starts again. Single parents take the most blame simply because they stand up, willing to welcome the presence of the child instead of aborting them. Do they get a pat on the back? Do they get praised? No, they do not. Instead, they are slut-shamed and called names behind their backs. They lose themselves because they were dragged into a world of parenting, a world that they did not fully consent to, but a world they have to live in. They are judged for carrying a baby in their arms alone instead of being supported. Their families disown them, calling them a disgrace to their name. They had to struggle to live on their own. Parents have to take on so many jobs that they do not have any time for themselves. But when they do, they reminisce about the old lives they led and they feel a sinking feeling of guilt because they feel like a failure. But that is not true. One should not label themselves to their worst moments. They may be present in their lives but they do not define who that person is. One defines themselves on the course of action they take from a single problem. To all the single parents out there, thank you. You have shown bravery beyond measure. Your hard work and perseverance is truly seen and felt as you formed your child into the person he or she is today. These single parents demonstrate undying courage, determination, and hard work. They have stood strong despite the harsh words, struggles, and abandonment. They are truly people we should look up to because they do take responsibility for their actions. Despite their children occasionally growing resentment to them because of their absence, they still continuously work hard nonstop for the future of their children. Despite the loss of their significant other, they do their best to hold in their grief and walk tall. These single parents have to take on the role of both a mother and a father. At times, it will be frustrating as a child but the child has to understand that the pain their parents go through every day is nothing compared to theirs. The society can help by stopping all of these harsh criticism over single parents. One should learn that there is more than what meets the eye. People should never judge a
book by its cover. Being a single parent is like living a double jeopardy. You feel dead inside but you still have to work till exhaustion. And even if you are exhausted, you need to care for your child. It is double the parenting, double the work, and double the tears. But remember, it is also double the laughter, double the pride, and double the love.