no Cake Walk

That title says it all. The past few years have been no cakewalk. Don't get me wrong, there is no way that I would trade this experience for anything in the world. These have been at times the happiest days of my life. Leave out the battles with the ex and everything would be fine. I have enjoyed every day with my son and at the end of the day I look back and say to myself that it is all worth the hassles. Sure there have been problems but any parent will have that. It is just that now they are more intense because you are doing it alone.
Employers look at you and think that you are a freak because you have chosen to do this. Is work that important or is family? That is a question you have to ask yourself. I decided to give up a bit in the money department to do this and am happy that I did.
Love life. Heh, it will come when you find a person with like values. I was fortunate enough to do just that and the problems have put an end to the relationship. Sue, I understand and still love you and am glad that you were a big part of our lives. Don't rush it, it isn't worth it. You have just gotten out of one bad situation, why get into another? If the person that you are with can not appreciate what you are doing than they are not worth being with.
Realize that this is your child's childhood. And enjoy it with them. I get a Super Soaker every year for Father's day and it gets thoroughly used during the course of the summer.
Enjoy the holidays as much as possible because these are rare moments in your life. My son and I spend Christmas day putting together Legos. At the end of the day my knees ache and my back hurts but I wouldn't trade those aches for anything.
Enjoy every moment and try to see life through your child's eyes. Our cat had kittens this past summer. He missed the first because he was at a friend's house playing but he did see the second one being born. He had eyes the size of dinner plates and ran out to announce the event to the neighborhood.
Remember that he or she is more important than anything you want to do. I have had ten of his friends invade my house right as I started to watch a football game. There will always be games to watch.
The big thing is don't is stop doing everything you normally do such as the lawn or the garden. Just do it. They just may decide to join you and find out that getting their hands dirty can be fun too. I love golf, I didn't force it on him, he asked for clubs and now plays.
You can not be a super parent because they don't exist. All you can do is try to be the best parent you can be. Nothing more, nothing less.
Do get involved with their school. I don't mean helping them with their homework, I mean get into the building and volunteer. I have gone on field trips, built playgrounds and acted as a "room mother". Every kid in the school, as well as all the teachers know who I am. My ex is unknown to them because she didn't do these things. Who is really missing out?