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I Am a Mom of One, and That’s Okay!
Does having just one child make motherhood any less fulfilling?
The other day, I went shopping at our local shopping center, ticking off my list as I moved from one store to another. When we got to the butcher, we picked our usual cut of beef. As the butcher skillfully sliced through the meat, he casually struck up a conversation.
“You only have one child?” he asked, glancing at my 16-year-old son.
“Yes, just one,” I replied.
He paused for a moment, knife in hand, before looking up at me. “Why only one? You should have had more!”
It was not the first time I had been asked this question. In fact, I have lost count of the number of times people have inquired, commented, or even expressed shock that I have just one child.
Where we live, many families believe in having large families. In fact, ten children or more in a single household is not unusual. Many of these parents are my friends, and their reaction when they learn I have just one child is often one of disbelief, followed by a long string of unsolicited opinions.
Some are genuinely curious, while others seem to pity me. And then there are those who act as if I have broken some unwritten rule of motherhood.
