In 2019, at seventeen years old, my older son earned admission to the University of Virginia. We were a little short on resources to cover the full cost to attend, so he made the decision to enlist, making him eligible for a scholarship through the US Army Reserves. Within three weeks of enlisting, he was awarded a Minuteman scholarship, one of only two awarded in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Over the last four years, UVA, the ROTC program, and the US Army have done so much for my son. Together, they filled so many gaps left by his father and offered so many lessons that I don’t know if a mother can ever adequately teach her son about becoming a man.
When we raise our children alone, it almost always feels like we never have enough to cover the full cost; never enough attention, never enough time, never enough patience, never enough bandwidth, never enough money … just never enough … and our children bear the burden.
Today, my son received his branch assignment, and he will commission into the Army Reserves as an Ordnance Officer. He will be brilliant and it will, finally, all be enough.
Day 3, #SingleMom #SoloMom
One thought on “It’s Enough”