Single Mothers

Definition:

Female parents or custodians who provide primary care for one or more children alone. They often work more than 40 hours a week while carrying the full responsibility of cooking, cleaning, and nurturing their children.

Statistics:

- 57% of single mothers are living below the poverty line; for those who are younger than 25, the number increases to 85%

- 78% of all single mothers are employed; 45% of them hold down more than one job

- there are 10 million single mothers with children under 18 in the USA

Personal Impact Story

Pam has already hit the snooze button twice. She is in the habit of setting her alarm clock twenty minutes early. That way she can hit snooze four times before she rolls out of bed, and enjoy nearly twenty full minutes of uninterrupted time so she can loiter in and out of sleep, or think, if she wants to. She could use a strong cup of coffee but is afraid she might get another migraine. There are no more sick days to book off at work for the rest of the month. She can’t afford to miss another day.

Pam goes through her mental list, another early morning ritual. She thinks through all the activities of the day, once the kids are fed, cleaned, dressed, and in the car:
- drop Chelsea off at Day Care, make her promise only to phone her at work if it’s an emergency
- drop Tanner off at school
- stand behind a cash register for eight hours, smoke endlessly during breaks
- pick up the kids, promise them they won’t have to go to after-school Day Care much longer
- take the kid’s to swimming lessons, resist fear of drowning
- dinner (make something quick, something easy)
- drive-thru at McDonald’s if/when Tanner refuses to eat
- fight the urge to swear or cry in front of the kids
- help Tanner with his homework – how can they give homework to a seven year old?
- convince Tanner homework is more important than Cartoon Network
- give Chelsea a bath and tuck her into bed, pray to God she doesn’t ask ‘when is dad coming home?’ again

The alarm clock rings for the fourth time. Pam forgets her abbreviated list for the moment. She can hear the TV from the other room. Tanner is already awake.
Pam tramps to the bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror, pulls and pushes at skin. She wishes she could wash the least three years out of her face. She pulls her hair back into a ponytail, and pouts at herself. Her body is slipping away.

She makes eye contact with herself, only briefly, then watches her own lips move as she wonders out loud, “What happened to you, girl?”

Pam sucks in her cheeks and tosses her hair, pretends to be young again, then laughs at herself. “Better make that cup of coffee,” she mutters. It’s only Monday.

*the above story is based on facts but is fictional, for actual statistics order 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless today