Am I a good mom?

Gosh, this is a tough subject, being a mom is tough. I find myself questioning myself a lot as a mother.

Let me share a little bit about myself; I am a recently divorced woman with a 7 year old boy. I am not a victim, ending the marriage was my choice. Deep in my heart I knew it was for the best. I share 50/50 custody with his father who is a good, involved father to our son. I don't consider myself a single mother. I have support from my ex, my family and his family when it comes to parenting. I am a single woman.

What makes me feel like a bad mom is the fact that for my son's entire life I have worked 2 pm to 10:30 pm. I have rarely put him to bed, I have missed out on most after school activities, I don't get to cook him dinner, we don't get to do homework together. On school days I see him in the morning for 1 hour and 15 minutes .... that's it. Summertime is a bit better. We have mornings to play and hang out together.... BUT.....When it's time for me to head out for work it's a completely different story. He BEGS me to call and tell my boss I can't work anymore. He hangs on my arms and legs or hugs me and won't let go. I can't blame him, I want more time too. I only have him Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and every other Saturday.

He has a tablet with an app that allows him to call my cell phone. Some nights he calls me crying because he misses me so much. Do you know how painful it is to hold back tears while trying my best to soothe him and make sure he knows how much he is loved over the phone? It's absolutely gut wrenching.

I'm doing what I have to do so I can provide. I want all the moms reading this who can relate to know you are not a bad mom. I am not a bad mom. I am providing for my child. I am doing my best every single day.  It doesn't matter if you are married or not. We all are trying our best.

My time has finally come! I have been blessed with the opportunity to work 8:30 am to 5 pm. I get to be a mom! I get to cook and help with homework! Telling my son that I get to work while he is at school and be home for him at night made some of the guilt go away. He is extremely excited and beyond happy and so am I.

You're a good mom. It is so hard, but it's worth it!