William is making great progress since removing negative distractions from the home, and our conversations are amazing. He’s expressing himself and even engaging in discussions when out in the community, which has never happened before. Being in the community each day has made a huge difference in a short period of time. This is a significant step forward. But when he crosses a line, we talk about it, he apologizes, and we move forward.

My biggest challenge is that he is asking questions. He asked me one in the car one day that I struggled to answer. “Why does everyone have a daddy?” My heart sunk. Buying sometime I said “What did you say?” His one eyebrow raises now as if to say, I know you heard me. I told him “Everyone doesn’t have a daddy. Some children don’t have a mommy or a dad.” He took that in and nodded his head with understanding.

At times like these, it can be very overwhelming to think about how to answer something as simple as this. All I could do was give him the best answer that I could at the time and hope he grasped the concept. And of course he couldn’t stop there LOL. He then asked, What do we do on Fathers Day?” I responded, “Well we can make that anyday you want, Party day, Pizza Day whatever you like”. He smiled, like he was okay with that answer, and then the flapping started with excitement of the idea.

It was in that moment that I realized how important it is for children to feel secure, heard, and understood when talking about something as difficult as this. Being a single parent can be challenging but also very rewarding. It’s moments like these that remind me why I’m here for him no matter what. As long as I’m there, I’m reminded to remain patient and continue to be a source of guidance and support for William as he continues to grow and finding his words to express himself.