What's a Singleton?

Noun: A child or animal born singly, rather than one of a multiple birth

Did you know I have a singleton? Chances are you know exactly what I mean if you're an internet mom. Ohhh you only have one child. If you don't have children you probably think I just admitted to having a disease.

I've been reading that hilarious blogger book collaboration - I Just Want to Pee Alone - and Ninja Mom Blog hit the nail on the head with her entry, "The Other Mommy War."

What's a mommy war? Again, if you're a mom you know. If you aren't welllll let's just say they're snark-filled judgements about how to properly raise your someone else's child.

Like, for example, these people really wanted me to baby train. Like, really. It worked for them so it would work for us. But it's not our style. I like it when my kid colors so far out of the lines that it gets on the wall.

Now, in this thing Ninja Mom wrote (don't you love saying her name?), she addresses the singleton versus multiples war. She has four kids, two of which are twins, so I was really reallllyyyy psyched to hear her tackle the subject the way she did. She admits that one child is a lot of work and counts! Oh, I know, right? NEWSFLASH.

Raising child/ren is hard work.

I confess, even I had to Google the term singleton after I had Tristan (note: after) because parenting chatter is different than pregnancy chatter. I kept hearing just a singleton or whatever. My brothers are multiples but in pre-internet days we simply referred to them as twins. If I told my mom she had multiples she'd probably say, Multiple what...? It's the new slang.

Sometimes I feel like I should pack my bag and go home when certain topics come up because we only had one; I can't possibly understand! But I'm not about to have another just to prove a point. I'll take it from the mom of four who broke it down for all of us. Ninja Mom, that is.

I'm not saying multiples aren't hard; it's a different dynamic. I am saying that singletons are hard, too, so please don't try to one up (literally and figuratively) or belittle our struggles.

Parenting is serious business. Whether you have one or two or seven. We're raising tiny people.

For the record I asked my husband, Honey, do you know what a singleton is?
Husband, nonchalantly coloring Elmo with our son, No.

There you have it.
War over.

Definitely pick up a copy of this book. You'll LOL 'til you cramp. Also visit Ninja Mom and laugh some more.