Reading Trin's blog about her hectic schedule, provoked some thoughts and memories of my own. It was difficult being a single Mom of a 6 and 7 year old boy in the 70's.

When I first started to work , I had to make many changes in our routine.

I worked until 4 , they got home by 3:30

I asked one of the Mom's in the car pool, who lived right down our street , if she could keep an eye on them until I got home. They all played together in the alley anyway, but apparently she resented this and just before the Christmas break she dropped us from the car pool which created another crisis for me. It's amazing how little things become larger than life when you are alone and having to make all the decisions.

I did find another one which wasn't easy as the kids went to a small school on the campus of Towson State and everyone did not live in our neighborhood. I did get them involved in some after school activities when they were available.

My schedule became Monday-Friday 9-5, supervising the floor staff and hostessing. On Tuesday , Wednesdays and Fridays I changed into my uniform like Superman and waitressed for the much needed money.

This is when I relied heavily on my Parents for help, and I am forever grateful for their assistance. My Dad was recently retired, so he was able to pick them up from school and take them home where they spent the night and drove them back in the morning. I credit my parents with providing the stability they needed at this crucial time in their lives, and also their love of Mom Mom's creamy corn and homemade mac and cheese

Once they were a little older, I found other ways to manage. They could ride the transit bus straight down York Rd, to Northern Pkwy, and walk the 1/2 mile home. They were latch key kids, but were trustworthy and responsible so I didn't worry, plus my job was 10 minutes away.
At one point I also had a co worker/ college student move into the basement and as part of our agreement, she agreed to fix dinner and stay with them on the nights that I worked. That only lasted a few months, but it helped at the time. They were getting tired of shuffling back and forth to Mom Mom's.

Then there were the other activities that boys need to get into, Soccer and Little league, I wasn't always able to transport them to these events but somehow we managed.

As it became increasingly rare when their Dad showed up, I looked into Boy Scouts as a place for a strong male role model. Did I ever luck out with Troop 35. I had 2 busboys who worked with me who were both 17 and still in the scouts, and they were cool, hip kids. That was a huge part of our lives for 8 years and both sons made Eagle.
I can't help believe that the responsibilities they assumed as kids, have made them into the solid individuals they are today.