Excerpt
I remember a song recorded several years ago by Karyn White titled, Superwoman. In it, she belts out a soulful declaration that she is “…not your Superwoman!” Well, I beg to differ.
How is it possible for a woman to raise kids, run a household, work full-time, help their kids with homework, perform housecleaning duties, be a master of culinary arts, and provide shuttle service for the entire family, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? Now there are some of us that even have a husband thrown into this continuously busy mixture of everyday life, so that means we have to add hubby to our number of dependants. Too bad we can’t claim them at tax time, but...they can claim us by being Head of Household. Doesn’t seem fair, huh?
Ladies, we are constantly on the move. Long gone are the days of Marion Cunningham, June Cleaver, and Florida Evans. If we’re single parents, we literally cannot afford to stay home with the kids. There’s no such entity as the Single Parent Fairy making visits sprinkling rainbow-hued pixie dust as she leaves you a check that will cover your monthly expenses. There is, however, a very persistent Bill Collector Troll who will harass you day and night. He will leave horrifying messages of how he will make your lights vanish in the blink of an eye, turn your water into a dry well, or have his army of Credit Reporting Gremlins drag your good name through the mud regardless of your pleas for just one more week.
He will also tell his other cohorts, such as the Car Repossesser Imp, where you live so he can magically make your much-needed mode of transportation disappear in the wee hours of the night. And don’t forget the evil Landlord Grinch who will take your possessions and belongings from your home and throw them outside in the harsh elements with you and your kids. Scary, huh?
Even some of us married folk can’t afford to stay at home as Beaver’s mom did. I’d love to stay home and have lunch waiting for my kids and dinner on the table promptly at six o’clock, waiting at the door with my hubby’s slippers and newspaper. But we live in the real world. Not only do we have to get out there and compete with our male counterparts for scarce jobs to feed and support our families, we still have to maintain the household, nurture the kids, and see to our spouses needs. Like they say…the more things change, the more things stay the same.