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Single Parenthood: The Hardest Part Is the Last Ten Percent
Single parents can do it all on their own, but they don’t have to.
I heard it as I pulled into the driveway of our apartment. My son hadn’t been able to make the trip home and had just retched in his car seat. I knew it was a gamble when I picked him up for daycare, but there wasn’t any other option. I had to get him home somehow, and I didn’t have a spare person to sit in back next to him and play vomit catcher.
I parked the car and dashed around to rescue him. At 15 months old, Garret was big for his age, and getting his sluggish body from the car seat without making the mess worse was impossible. He was crying, upset, and wet, and the frigid February temperatures weren’t making things any better. I hugged him to my chest, holding my breath against the stench of his regurgitated lunch, and made my way to the front door.
Just as I pushed it open, I heard Garret retch again. This time the vomit launched over my shoulder and stuck in my long, curly hair before splattering the plaster wall behind me. I didn’t stop to clean it up; I needed to get him comfortable first.
In his bedroom, I stripped Garret down to his diaper, which was, miraculously, not in need of changing. He was burning up, and covered in remnants of partially…
