I am a 34-year-old single mother of three children. Growing up, I was often told that children were a blessing to those who had them, but as I became a mother myself, I found that statement more complex than I had imagined.
When I was 24, I gave birth to twins, and at 25, I welcomed my third child. I was married to their father for about five years, with periods of separation in between, until I finally parted ways with him because of physical and emotional abuse.
I love my children deeply, but for many years, parenting felt like a burden. I thought something was wrong with me for feeling that way. Looking back now, after ten years of parenting, I realize that those feelings came from exhaustion and self-neglect.
Even as things slowly improved, the demands never disappeared. From sleepless nights to helping with homework while cooking supper after a full day at work, it was hard to find the blessing in it all. Life itself felt so heavy at times that the thought of dying felt like relief. I would think of my children and conclude that I couldn’t even die because of them. Or maybe, I wondered, could that actually be the blessing?
Choosing to live meant learning to care for myself—body, mind, and spirit—and now I am thriving.
This story of my parenting is one example of how gratitude has changed my attitude and helped me see blessings where I once saw burdens. The prompts from the Gratitude app have helped me recognize things to be thankful for every single day.
Parenting has shaped who I am, and today I can honestly say, my children have been and continue to be my greatest blessing.
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