I. Addio, Firenze
'Nice Girls Can Be Naughty': A series of articles, By Erica Miner
Excerpted From Erica's Novel, Travels With My Lovers:
I was beside myself. Admittedly, I was hopeless at maps – this had always been my husband Eric’s job – and suddenly I found myself in my first European city without a clue as to where I was heading. Although I wasn’t a single mom, it certainly felt that way, with my two tykes in tow and a husband bailing out at the last minute to stay in New York. Like a relentless mama sheepdog, I pushed and prodded my precious kids along the cracked cobblestone sidewalks. Where was the shopping cart when you needed it? Or the red wagon, for that matter? I think there comes a time in every mother's life, when you just want to say, what was I thinking?
Don't get me wrong, I loved being a mom. But much as I treasured my two adorable little cohorts, I was beginning to be desperate for some exploration time alone. Julian and Regina, thank God, were not hyper kids; but they were both up for adventure and kept me going, going, going.
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Personal Narrative By Erica Miner:
"Although I wasn't a single mom, it certainly felt that way,...
Maybe I was preparing myself psychologically. I was already feeling self-doubt about the reasons why I was going this alone with my kids. My inherently suspicious nature was at war with my desire to be optimistic about my marriage. At this point in my life, I had thought that everything was going great with my hubby and with my kids. But a little voice, which I tried to ignore, was nagging at me. Just why had the kids' dad stayed home and sent me off with them alone?
And I couldn't help thinking, "If this is what it feels like to be a single mom, I don't think I could handle it." We are all familiar with the difficulties of handling kids on our own, whether in a home environment or in a traveling situation. We adore our children, but we all need our 'alone time.' This dichotomy causes many of us to feel guilty, or at least ambivalent, about having these needs. I could definitely count myself as one of this group. And I was really, really stressed-out to say the least. Well, who wouldn't be?”