Sarah Palin got it wrong.
If she thinks hockey moms are tough, she should meet my single mom friends. Smart, savvy women quietly raising their kids under the parenting radar, they’re the real lipstick-wearing pit bulls.
Bias, perhaps, but I consider every one of my single mom friends remarkable in some way.
Two are lawyers and three started their own business, one being high-end interior design. Another, an old high school pal, has a disabled child and runs a hospital lab. And fellow New York blogger Linda Grant works fulltime while managing her successful site NYC Single Mom in her off hours. Three, no less, adopted a child on their own.
Show me a hockey mom who has done that.
Of course, marriage, especially if packaged with a good-looking guy like Todd, is the preferable option. But worse than a presidential candidate in need of a history lesson, is an unsupportive mate. I know.
For several years I ran a single moms support group at the local YMCA, which was comparable to a front row seat at Jerry Springer. More than once I had to refrain from shouting: “Your baby daddy did WHAT?” But as moderator and quasi-therapist my job was to suspend judgment and keep the show moving.
What impressed me most weren’t the tales of alcoholism, abuse and infidelity, but the strength of women. I saw broken, defeated women suddenly find the strength to kick out a deadbeat father, take on the legal system, or go back to school while working fulltime. Those stories of downtrodden moms rising from the ashes renewed my faith in women and provided an important lesson: Next terrorist attack, the most valuable asset to have on hand isn’t a computer, cell phone or even a bit bull, but is a single mom.
You betcha!
Lipstick and Playdates 