Having an ex adds a lot of undue stress in your life; have children with that ex and the stress multiplies by about a hundred…thousand…ok, it’s more like an infinite amount of stress that never ends with the signing of the decree. You’d think it get easier now that you’re not together, but it’s actually a lot harder when neither one of you is trying to make things work anymore. My ex and I try to keep things as civil as possible when it comes to Logan. I don’t want him to ever feel caught in the middle of his parents, even though neither one of us is very fond of the other. He deserves to know that we both love him, I don’t want him to ever question any of that because we aren’t getting along. So far I think we’ve done fairly well, but that doesn’t stop him from being a rather big stress in my life. Every time I see his number pop up on my phone my heart sinks into my stomach, knowing there is going to be some kind of drama. Unfortunately, sitting and worrying about it doesn’t change anything. We didn’t see eye to eye when we were married, so it’s not really that different now.
Tonight was one of those nights I was feeling some stress from him and his new fiancé. I felt like they were trying to step on my toes as a parent and there’s nothing that gets to me more than that. Instead of sitting at home and dwelling on how frustrated I was, I headed to the gym. I turned on some Alanis Morissette and ran and ran and ran until I couldn’t run anymore. As I walked back to my car I realized how much better I felt. I pounded things out on the machine and somehow it was able to put things back into perspective for me. I realized that no matter how hard either one of them tried they could never replicate the relationship I have with my son. He loves me and nothing they say or do is going to change that.
The next time you’re feeling the stress building up in your life, as is common single parenting, find something to help you clear your head and gain perspective. Go for a walk around the block, hit a punching bag, or head to the gym. Not only does it help you clear your head it helps get the blood pumping through your whole body and makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. All moms deserve to feel that way every once in a while, might as well get some exercise while you’re at it!