Aiden drew this picture and shared it with me the other day.
Family.
That's what he titles it.
The great thing about this picture is that he didn't just draw him and me. But he included friends and loved ones who surround him with joy all the time.
I remember when I started out on this single mom journey. At first, I was so worried that Aiden would feel a sense of deprivation or would feel as though he's growing up without a "real" family. I studied the statistics on kids raised by single moms, and I cringed at what I saw.
That's when I decided that I would build a stable support system for Aiden. A village so tight that he would refer to it as one thing -- family. He deserves it. All children do.
There's my sister and niece who are always around to play with Aiden, entertain him, or listen to his funny stories. There's my godmother who is always ready to listen to me vent, offer advice, or invite us for a weekend in suburbia. There are my girlfriends who love it when Aiden and I visit for dinner. There are my male friends who are ready and willing to play sports with Aiden or talk to him about "boy stuff," as cliché as that may sound.
As Aiden began describing his drawing to me in detail, it brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. As I listened to him speak, his eyes wide and face bright with excitement, I had two thoughts:
We're so blessed.
And, even though I'm a single mom and Aiden's other parent is not in his life, we have exactly what I've always wanted for Aiden -- a family.
Awww reading this definitely brought tears to my eyes, too. It must be reassuring to know he's not missing out on the family bit.
ReplyDeleteFamily is definitely what you make it. And you've done a great job of making a family for yourself and Aiden. He's blessed to have a mom who loves him unconditionally and who goes out of her way to make sure he is surrounded by people who will embrace as equally as they do their own flesh and blood.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet! That's awesome that you have village. I think that is important for everyone to have.
ReplyDeleteThis was so sweet. He sounds like such an awesome kid and he is going to grow into a wonderful man, I can tell you that much! You are both super blessed to have one another and supportive folks around you all. ♥
ReplyDeleteAiden is such a sweetheart. I'd like to think that my kids feel the same way and even though we are not a nuclear family, they have so many people around them that really love and care for them!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, this made me me cry too. So happy for both of you!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, this made me me cry too. So happy for both of you!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool blog, atleast content has a meaning unlike those useless blogs on the internet. Essay On Independence Day in Hindi 2018
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