To All Single Parents

After watching American Idol and getting two doses of Scrubs , I'm finally taking time tonight to post. What's on my mind? Not a lot right now because I'm trying to recover from a sickness. But there is one thing I've been thinking about for the past 4 days. When I first brought Lainey home (see the previous post "My New Roommate") I new I had a lot of work ahead of me. This was a puppy that had no training at all and it was totally up to me to begin housetraining her. What a formidable task! The constant soiling of my carpet was enough to make me scream and I had to keep my eyes on her constantly. As a result, I was not able to do the things that I loved to do such as cranking up some great music and spending hours sitting at my drawing board or sitting at my keyboard trying to teach myself how to play once again. All of my time was dedicated to Lainey and I was sacrificing pretty much everything. The times when I was actually away from the house doing something fun, I was also feeling guilty while Lainey was left outside in the backyard. Sacrificing hobbies, cleaning carpet, and feeling guilty was my life.

I would tell people that I felt like the single parent of an infant child. I know you're saying "Come on, Ryan...it's a dog!" I know she's a dog but it was my responsibility to take care of her because no one else was here. Well, I have recently returned Lainey to the Humane Society because I didn't feel like I was able to take care of her the way that I should. I'm hoping she will find a better home with children who have more time to play with her. It was a painful decision because I miss her cute little face and seeing her run as fast as she can from the back of the yard to me when I would get home from work. However, I am now able to enjoy my hobbies and do the things that I was not able to do earlier. Selfish? Maybe so. But as you said, "Come on, Ryan...it's a dog!"

This experience has caused me to think about single parents who have it far worse than I did. I know these people have to sacrifice everything to take care of their children. That is a HUGE responsibility, especially when the children are very young. I know of individuals who are in this situation and they have my utmost respect. To totally forget about your own needs and direct all of your energy toward taking care of someone else is an admirable accomplishment. To all single parents...my hat's off to you!