If I did one of those word collage things for all the phrases I speak in any given week, I know which one would be the largest. “Because of Mark’s schedule…” I say that all the time!

A husband who works nights really cramps my social life, but it’s not the missed girls nights out that is my biggest complaint. It’s the fact that for the great majority of our time, I am – essentially – a single mom.

Now don’t get me wrong! Mark is a fantastic father. He loves our little girl like nobody’s business, and he can make her giggle – and listen – faster than anyone else on earth. But the fact that remains that his current work schedule keeps him away from home more hours than any of us like.

I’m not going down the pity party path, though. Not today. (This weekend – and every other time the words, “We miss you! I’m tired of doing everything myself! I didn’t sign up to be a single mom!” have been uttered – might have been a different story, though.)

Today I thought we’d kick it David Letterman style and list out the signs you are, indeed, a married single mom.

10. You don’t even flinch when a major appliance breaks, and you’re the one responsible for getting it fixed. Again. (Please tell me this was a hypothetical example, @AliciasTweeting!)

9. When your husband is home (and, in our case, awake), you might just arrange for him to be the parent who finds the dirty diapers, snotty noses, mysteriously wet car seat, etc. And you only feel a little guilty.

8. You don’t bother with the threat, “Wait until your father gets home,” because either you can’t remember when he’ll be home again or you know that by the time he gets home, you’ll have forgotten this – and most of the other – transgressions.

7. Approximately one hour after naptime, you begin calculating just how soon you can put the kids back in bed. As @mnmommy said, “Is 6:30 really too early?”

6. After another long day of entertaining and feeding your darling children, you find yourself thinking that Chuck E. Cheese sounds like a good plan for dinner. (Thanks to @DiaperDiaries for that one!)

5. Your daughter squeals and hollers, then looks at you and says, “I can be noisy, Mommy, because Daddy’s awake, right?” (Because working the night shift means sleeping the day shift.)

4. When it’s time to upgrade to a booster seat, you’re excited to save money by only buying a seat for one car – yours.

3. You pile everyone into the car to go to preschool – and then realize it’s Saturday, which is (unfortunately) just another day of full-time mommy duty. (So true, @feelslikehome. So true!)

2. You go ahead and buy your favorite snacks, because you can eat whatever you want after the kids go to bed. (Canned ravioli, @adriennemay? Really?)

1. Once you finally get the kids (back) into bed, clean up the dinner that you threw together and toss another load of clean laundry on top of the dryer, you can watch whatever you want on TV!

Whether your husband works nights, serves in our military or travels for his job, I know many of you are also living as married “single” moms. What signs would you add to this list?

This post will be linked to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.

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