So, I've seen the banner ads for awhile now-- new website for Triangle Moms! Today's a slow day at work, so I thought I'd check it out. And I was really surprised to see that (from my initial search at least), no other single moms are writing blogs.

(It's probably because we're all too tired.)

Being a single parent can really alienating. Sure, it's got its advantages, like no one jostling for the remote when NASCAR is on television, but it's not all fun and glamour.

The toughest thing for me is not really knowing any other single parents. Someone I could commiserate with last week when I was looking into the Indian Guides and Princesses for my son and daughter, and realize they can't do it, because it's designed for dads and their children.

And though I temporarily considered pleading our case, I realized it wouldn't be much fun for my kids, the dads (or their wives) to make a bonding experience into a political cause.

I know I'm not the only one out here. Everyone's always lamenting about the demise of the tranditional family. We're the ones supposed to be taking over the planet, right? So why is every other parent in my company sharing child-rearing responsibilities with a spouse or partner?

It sucks being the only one who has to beg out of end-of-day meetings before they've broken up, because my kids' afterschool program is ending. Or the only one who always has to handle sick days, parent conferences and the like. I don't want to miss a minute of my kids' lives, but it can be really tough to balance that with meeting the requirements at work to keep everyone fed and clothed.

I need a wife.

Someone I could call at 5:15 to ask to swing by and pick up the kids. Someone whose phone number can also be on the list of "who to call when someone vomits at school." Someone who can get a jumpstart on dinner or grocery shopping or laundry or buying posterboard for that science project that was otherwise forgotten until 12 hours before it's due.

But I'd settle for a friend. Another single mom. Someone who also walks in my shoes. Maybe even someone who I could share pinch-hitting parenting duties with.

I want my kids to know other families like theirs, and I don't want them to ever doubt that even though their father and I are divorced, the three of us are still a family.

And a pretty darn good one, at that.