Being a single mom isn’t easy at all, because a woman alone has to be both a mother and a father for her beloved child. Single mothers bear double responsibilities and their life may at times be extremely hard.
Our reader, 25-year-old woman, is experiencing all burdens of being a single parent, but she’s coping with all challenges brilliantly. But her best friends think differently, and their unwanted interference in the woman’s life cost her a lot of sleepless nights now. The woman found herself in a very tough and complicated life situation, and now she feels insecure and is looking for opinions and advice from our readers.
Here’s her story.
Andrea, 25, has been raising her son alone, but she never complained.
Andrea opened her letter, saying,
“I am 25, and I’m a single mom to my 4-year-old son, Olaf. It’s always been this way. His dad vanished when my son was only 2 days old, and we haven’t received even a single call from him during all this time. He also has avoided child support, and I’ve never accounted on him financially. My own parents passed away due to a bad accident 3 years ago, and I’m no contact with the rest of my family, because they’re judging me severely and demonstrate an offensive behavior towards me whenever it goes about my motherhood.
I had to give up my university, and I have worked a plenty of jobs since then to manage my little family. We aren’t poor, but we do lack many things, and we’re currently renting a one-bedroom apartment. Our current life is not ideal, but I hope and do everything so that within the next couple of years we could afford more and maybe even buy a house of our own one day. For now, it’s what we have.
I’ve raised Olaf with understanding that mom will always give him the best. We may not have a lot, and he doesn’t always have the newest toys or clothes. But we have each other and the two of us are very close.”
The woman added, “My little son has never been left without a birthday or a Christmas present, and I always make sure that he gets at least some things he dreams of. Of course, his friends have more, but my little man has never been envious about other kids having more stuff. On the contrary, he’s learning quickly how to keep something that he got in a good state and rarely spoils things. He’s a very kind and generous boy, and he loves to share with other kids.”
Andrea met a very nice couple who became her best friends very soon.
Andrea revealed, “Last year, we went to a village, where one of my distant relatives lives. He invited us out of the blue, and he’s always been kind to us, unlike the rest of my family, so I easily agreed to come and visit him, and for Olaf that would mean a change of scene, which I thought was great. Olaf met a girl named Rosa there. They played with each other a lot, and Olaf ended up going to her place. I met Rosa’s parents, Helen and Paul, a couple of times before this friendship started.
They seemed extremely nice and supportive people, we had a lot in common, and I loved spending time with both of them, too. Olaf also always had a great time at their house with their little daughter. Helen suggested that we exchange numbers before we left, and they started messaging me and calling me very often.”
Andrea goes on with her story, saying, “Helen is a stay-at-home-mom and once she offered to take Olaf for the whole week. I was very hesitant to ask so much of her, but she was very kind and she insisted. So, I brought him to the village again.
My son had a really nice time with these nice and cordial people and their cute little daughter. He also received many presents from them during his stay, which I found uncomfortable a little bit, but at the same time I thought they were doing it from all their hearts, so I said nothing to them for spoiling my child, I was so grateful to them that they made Olaf’s life so much full of joy.”
Things started getting unhealthy soon after the close bond was established.
Andrea continues her story, saying, “Helen and Paul started inviting Olaf more and more to their place. Once, they even suggested that he should stay for a whole month with them while I was supposed to spend more time working and earning for my family. It all seemed a tad disturbing for me, and I started feeling uncomfortable because of this extra-attention to Olaf from the side of Helen and Paul.
I told them that there’s no way I could ever pay them back, and they kept insisting that they loved having Olaf around. They were never tired of telling me how much they loved him and how he was like their own child to them.”
Andrea revealed, “At one point, I confronted them as to why they were so insistent on having Olaf around so much. They shocked me to the core with their reply. They boldly told me that they’d been dreaming of a big family with many kids around.
Then they suggested that Olaf could stay with them forever. They planned that I could still see him, but they would mainly take care of him. I thought this was a joke, but their real plan was a bombshell for me.”
Andrea was shocked when the couple revealed what they were up to all this time.
Andrea wrote, “After I asked them what they meant by having Olaf with them a long time, they got really quiet, and the harsh reality rushed over me.
They then started explaining some legal stuff about how I could assign them as Olaf’s caregivers, and they would do their best to make sure Olaf still calls me mother. They asked me to think about Olaf and what’s best for him. I simply told them that was sick.”
The woman said, “I quickly grabbed Olaf and we left. I immediately blocked their numbers. My little son has no clue about what’s really going on, and he keeps asking why we don’t come to visit them anymore. I can see that he’s struggling, and he misses them and Rosa so much.
But now I know what these people really want, and their intentions make me terrified. I don’t want Olaf going back to that place. Should we move away from this city? Or should I reach some kind of agreement with them that they’ll never ever bring this subject anymore and let Olaf see Rosa, but only in my presence? What should I do?”
