As Sandra Bullock to the long list of celebrities who adopt. Of course, if you have been living under a rock, we all know that Sandra Bullock is now the proud mom of a baby boy, Louis Bardo Bullock.
As you can surmise from my blog name (duh), I am also a single mom. I adopted my daughter when she was just 11 days old. Now that she is a single mom, I wanted to give Sandra my two cents worth on being a single mom. I won’t bore any one with “single parenting is hard” routine (but it is.) Moving on…
Four Tips for New Single Mom Sandra Bullock:
1. Add Mom Friends especially Single Mom Friends into your inner circle – I love my single friends (two are my daughter’s godmothers) and my married mom friends but my single mom friends really get what I am going through raising a child on my own. All of these great moms keep me from losing my mind, offer great advice mom-related and non-mom related, listen to me whine on occasion (or ramble on) and can commiserate and emphathize on all the little things about bringing up a child.
2. Make Mommy Time (And Don’t Feel Guilty) – There is nothing wrong with making time for yourself. Yes, it’s hard to be away from your child but you need to recharge and reenergize yourself. I love my daughter but nothing is more refreshing than getting eight hours of sleep, sleeping in, going to an adult movie (hey, not that kind) or getting a mani/pedi. And sometimes, yes, it’s okay to go away for a couple of days, it doesn’t make you a bad mommy. I am still trying to schedule this year’s trip.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help – Hillary Clinton is right “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.” I don’t have family that live nearby so I have had to ask for help from friends and other families. I took me a long time to ask for help and not feel guilty about burdening other parents but now, I just do it. Everyone is happy to help you. They get it.
4. Get Up Earlier – Right now, I am sure your son is not sleeping through the night but one day. My body is conditioned now but there is nothing more relaxing and peaceful than to wake up early, have cup of coffee and read the paper (or scour the internet) in peace before the madness of the day begins. Of course, there are others who would rather get that extra time to sleep but personally, I rather get my day started in peace and quiet versus a whirlwind.
This isn’t a tip but I look at the photo of you with your son and it makes me reflect on the day I went to pick my duaghter up and seeing her for the first time. I see the happiness in your eyes and remember that day.
Good luck and hey if you ever need a babysitter, my seven year old daughter just loves hanging out with little kids.
Any other tips for Sandra, feel free to weigh in.
Great post