The Life of a Single Woman: Pros and Cons

Though, technically I haven't made it to "single" status, I have been living single since last September. And as I go through each day, fight the fierce battles this new life has to offer, I find myself giggling about some of these battles, and crying a little about the other battles. Hence, the reason for this blog. The pros vs. cons of being a single woman. The following is my list in no particular order.

Pros:
1. I make many decisions on a daily basis...they are MY decisions. And though sometimes I could use a sounding block for my ideas, I am empowered by the fact that I get to make the ultimate decisions. For example: we have a new puppy...I decided we would get this puppy, I didn't have to call home to check and see if I could bring him home..I just said "yes, I would like this puppy to come live with me" and now I have a puppy.

2. Control of the remote! lol! Our T.V. stays on the kids channels for the majority of time, but when the kids go to bed, I can watch whatever I want to. Hallmark channel, cooking channel, Lifetime, TLC, just to mention a few. I can also watch a full show without having to "flip" though commercials. The History channel will rarely be on at my house, and though sometimes I find the Discovery Channel interesting, it isn't my first choice....hmmm, and I get to decide...lol

3. Going to bed when I want to. I am a late night person. I like to stay up til I'm falling asleep. I enjoy the fact that no one is telling me when I need to come to bed. I am a grown-up, and if I decide to stay up late, then I understand the consequences and will only blame myself..again, my choice...lol

4. Getting all the alone time I want is sometimes nice. I can read a book, watch T.V., facebook, or just sit on the couch to relax. No need to worry about anyone seeing me with no make-up on, or trying to impress. I can sit in my sweats, and do absolutely nothing. I can fix a drink, or eat a snack, and no one asks me to share. And if I choose to eat the last swiss cake roll, no one is gonna look at me and say "hey, I was gonna eat that" or, "can I have one" cause there is no one there to complain.


Cons:

1. Scary sounds in the house at night. I do not like having to check out the late night sounds. I am a big chicken. My imagination tends to run away with me. I usually go looking around with a look in my eye that is supposed to show no fear, but it is probably more of a "deer in the headlights" look.

2. Wasps or hornets nests. This is not my expertise. I do not prefer to be chased by these flying insects while aiming a can that may or may not spray in the direction necessary to kill on contact. Besides, if the killing on contact is while they are in the process of stinging me, then what is the point? I did learn from a friend, that it is best to spray at night when they are sleeping? Of course, I can't really see where I am spraying at night, so I gave it a good dousing (the spray was dripping from the corner of the garage, but at least I knew for sure they were coated well).

3. Sick kids in the middle of the night. This is by far one of my least favorite single woman jobs. What used to be a team effort of clean-up, now falls to single me. It was a lot easier when one of us took the sick kid to clean up and comfort, while the other changed the sheets on the bed. Now it is the running back and forth between bathroom and bedroom: "Are you alright?" while the child pukes in the toilet, to trying to find the extra sheets, and stuff the yuckies into the wash while barely touching them. It is certainly a task that can be handled by one, but it is much nicer when someone pitches in.

4. The time of night after the kids are in bed are lonely. Sure, I can call a friend, or text, or get on the computer and chat, but there are times when it would be nice to have someone rub my head while we watched T.V. Or maybe fighting playfully over what to watch in the evenings could be enjoyable. And then, there are the times when you don't have to say anything at all, but just sitting together, having a late night snack, or holding hands. I don't like to be alone ALL the time, but when you are single, you do get a LOT of alone time.

So there you have it. A small list of the pros and cons of being a single woman. Good points made on both sides, and I hope to continue adding to these lists as time goes by. Feel free to comment if you have more to add, as it can be as long of a list as it needs to be, because it is mine, and I get to choose...lol.