A Single Parent Story

Taking care of a child on your own can be difficult. Finances, love, time, and affection all have to come from you, and you always find that you second guess yourself from time to time. My daughter was born at 34 weeks, given a 20 percent chance of living. She came out not able function at all on her own and needing a machine to do everything for her. The doctors told me that she might not make it past 8 hours and if she did she would be a vegetable. She was born with hydrops. Even then I started to wonder if it was something I did that caused my daughter to be in so much pain. Was it the stress, the fussing, that fact that I worked two jobs to support us and was constantly on my feet, what was it?

My daughter fought for her life; she is still here today and is far from a vegetable. Other than the fact that she has mild CP and has to wear an AFO she is perfect. Mentally, I feel she is the smartest little girl in the world, and catches on quickly to what she is taught. Her dad is not involved in her life, which is typical in this day of time. We haven't seen or hard from him since her 1^st birthday.

I have always felt that it was my job to fight just like my daughter. It's funny but I look at her as my role model. She is now 4 and will be 5 in March, me and the rest of the family spoil her a lot. Her dad is not missed and I have went through her life making sure that she does not lack anything just because she only has one parent. I do sometimes feel that when she grows up questions will rise, but hopefully I will be prepared for that when we cross that bridge. I am now married and she has a step father. He treats her like his own, and wants her to call him daddy. He does not want her to feel like their relationship is any weaker because of blood. I respect him for that, and he respects me for raising her by myself for this long. I always put my daughter first, and feel like that is the only way to go. I know she will grow and learn that same respect as she grows older.