Mom: Desheia Scott, Mount Washington
Occupation: Operator, MTA Mobility
Children: Skylar, 16 months
Let’s get this day started
Skylar is currently 16 months and she is so smart. She knows a few words including “mama,” “dada,” “no,” “cheese,” “bye-bye,” “hi,” and the list goes on. She loves to play with her blocks and to color. She is such a happy baby.
Her day usually begins around 8 a.m. when she wakes. She loves to hop right into the toys and I let her play while I prepare her breakfast. If it is a day I have to work, I will get her ready for daycare after breakfast. But on my off days I like to plan out different activities for her to do.
“Motherhood is the greatest, yet the hardest, thing a woman can experience.”
Between learning and sensory actives, we are always doing something to keep her busy and having fun. She loves when I read her books. Sometimes during story time, I even let her read me the stories.
Ages and stages
Currently, Sky is in the stage where she just started hitting. I am working on getting her to understand that that is not nice to do. She has her days where she does not want to follow the rules or when she gets upset because she is not able to do what she wants to do.
At times I can get frustrated when Sky has those types of moments or days. Being a mom is a learning process; I had to learn not to yell or take frustrations out on her because she is still too young to understand certain things.
Read: From One Mom to Another
Sky usually takes one nap for about an hour each day. When she wakes, we will have lunch and more learning/playtime. Sometimes when I prepare dinner, I will let her watch her favorite cartoons or have her doing an activity to keep her occupied.
Usually about 6:30, she will have bath time, and then between 8:30-9 p.m., Sky is ready for bed for the night.
That is usually the typical day in the “Life of Skylar.”
Mom life
Finding out I was going to be a mom was shocking. I felt nervous, afraid and excited all at the same time. During my pregnancy, I experienced some complications from placenta previa and ovarian cysts. I was put on bed rest for two months and had allergic reactions to medication. I was scheduled to have a Caesarean birth and to have the ovarian cyst removed. Knowing that I would not get to experience a natural birth was a little disappointing to me. I was looking forward to the feeling of my water breaking and feeling the contractions. I definitely had fears of having the surgery, too. But all the pain and complications I endured throughout my pregnancy were worth it for my baby girl.
Read: Pregnant in a Pandemic
The first moment I held my precious baby is the exact same moment my life changed. I became so nurturing and protective in a matter of seconds. All the advice and stories I had heard from friends and family about becoming a mother was nothing compared to what I actually felt and went through to get to that moment.
Adjusting
Though I was in so much pain from the Caesarean, I stayed strong to take care of my baby girl. The hours after birth were kind of a blur because of the medication and all of the nurses coming in and out to teach me different things. I was taught to breastfeed which was not at all as easy, as I had expected it to be. But by the next day I became what I would like to say is a semi-pro.
As the days went on I became more equipped on how to maneuver around, while still healing from the Caesarean section.
Unfortunately a few days after being home, Skylar’s dad and I began to have issues and soon split. Never did I imagine becoming a single mother and let alone did I imagine it happening just days after having my daughter. But things happen for a reason. Though it was hard, I pulled myself together and stood strong and continue to be the best mom I could be.
Truths
Everyone usually always talks about how amazing motherhood is, but I rarely hear moms discussing the hard days and hardships of being a mom. Especially as a single mother. Being a single mother is really hard. I have plenty of days where I am wondering how I will even accomplish much on my own.
But when I reflect on my accomplishments as a single mom and a woman in general, I am beyond proud of myself. I would not change my life for anything. Sky means the world to me, and I want her to accomplish whatever goals she has when she grows up.
I want nothing but the best for my baby. I am so honored to be her mom.
- Want more essays? Read “When Your Child Wants to Be an Influencer.”
- Want to share your own Diary of a Parent? Send a video or a short write-up no more than 800 words to [email protected].
