Sep 30 2008
Raising Sebastian
Sebastian is my kind-hearted, head strong seven year old son.
Sebastian’s father lives 2,000 miles away and lives the life of a man with no children. Meaning, he hasn’t seen Sebastian since Sebastian was about 1 1/2. So, like many other single parents, there is a certain stigma attached to my home life. “Single mothers raise juvenile deliquents”..”Sons of single mothers don’t have a strong male influence, therefore something will be wrong with them” …”sons of single mothers will need years of therapy once they reach adulthood”. You get my drift.
So naturally when Sebastian brought home his progress report last week, I was elated and, admittedly, a little smug. Juvenile deliquent? Hardly. Some choice phrases from his teacher (and I quote):
“Sebastian is a fluent reader”…”Sebastian is a team player and functions cooperatively in class”…”Sebastian is always willing to lend a helping hand and puts 100% effort into each task assigned to him”….”Sebastian reads a variety of literature, which contributes to his well-developed vocabulary”.
Granted, I’m bragging a little bit here (but isn’t that what hours of labor allows you? Bragging rights?). More importantly I’m proving the naysayers wrong. Sons of single parents will not always end up like bums on the street or as underacheiving adult males. They too can have healthy, successful adult lives.
To all of my friends who are single parents (both female and male), I salute you. Lord knows it isn’t always easy. Hold your kids progress reports and spelling bee medals high and ignore the negative words and energy from others. After all, we have a job to do and do well.
