My mom made single parenting look like a breeze.  After my deadbeat dad took off and drained the family bank accounts, my mother worked two-night shift jobs and a swing shift so she was there for us kids in the daytime, and left after we were in bed.  She never missed a soccer tournament, dance recital or swim meet.  I don't know how in the world she managed.

I remember one particularly hard night when she had to put on her "dad hat," because I was being a teeny-bop drama queen.  After we verbally duked it out, she came and apologized to me for not making a better choice when it came to a spouse.

She listened to you in the car religiously, and every milestone in my life was greeted by one of your books.  At 17 years old, I was given "Bad Childhood, Good Life;" at 18, I got "10 Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives."  At my engagement, guess what was there with the gifts?  "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands!"  And on our first anniversary, we got "The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage."  I've started to read the rest of the books you wrote that I didn't get as gifts because I found the content immeasurably helpful and you advise sound.  My sisters and I all grew up, moved out, and went on to professional careers and sound marriages.  We're all homeowners, married to wonderful men, and we're just embarking on the adventure of motherhood together.  

This most recent Father's Day, I wrote my mother a thank you note for taking on the challenge of balancing motherhood AND fatherhood all by herself.  Thank you too, Dr. Laura, for being the little voice in the back of my head telling me to never look back, enjoy the now and keep my family safe.

Andrea