Hello all, I have been a member for a short period of time and think all of you are great! The support, advice and information you all have to share is wonderful. I seem to be having a bad spell of 'holiday blues'. I'm a single mom- 28 and have a beautiful daughter, 3 1/2, who is disabled. We live with my parents, thank God they are as wonderful as they are, but no thanks to the ex. I am at a point where I feel hopeless. I have a seasonal job and am not working right now, if I get a job my daughter will lose her medical coverage b/c "her income will be too high". I am currently looking into classes at the local college but am very lonely and depressed about my entire life. It just seems like someone out there is kicking me when I'm already down. When one little thing seems to go good, another bad thing happens. I have a lot of wonderful friends who are here for me but are at that point in their lives where they are getting married, raising families and doing their own thing. I have no romantic life at all. I have a "friend", who I have known for years, that I spend time with and honestly care a lot about. But I'm not a priority to him and sometimes feel like I'm 2nd best to whatever else may come up. It hurts, bad, but he has always been up front with me and honest about not wanting a relationship right now. But, like an idiot, I set myself for the heartache every time he calls. Now with the holidays approaching, quickly, I'm feeling very bad about everything. I don't want to get up in the morning, I have no desire to do anything but cry all day. I manage with my emotions for my daughter's sake and make sure she has a wonderful day, every day. But I also know I'm putting myself and my feelings aside and they will all come flooding back. If anyone has any advice on how to cope with these feeings or any ideas where to meet poeple to chat with or hang out, other than the bar scene, not my thing anymore, please let me know. Thank you in advance for listening to me.

Hi Scoot76,

Welcome to the board. Sounds like everything is hitting you all at once. I think most people experience those dark periods in life but you may be going through something a little more serious. Depression sometimes works itself out on it�s own but if it goes on for more than a few weeks, you may want to consider talking to a counselor about it. It�s hard to make good decisions for you or your daughter when you�re battling just getting up each day. I�m sure others will give you some good advice on this as well.

I�m sorry for what you�re going through and trust you�ll get some direction and hope back very soon.

Larry

scoot im in the same boat as you . i just wrote a lenghty reply only to lose it when i posted it. i wont go back to all the details again except i was crying when reading you message. stay at your parents i was there and regret moving out as they are a sorce of babysitting in the evenings when little one goes to bed. find some interest courses you like or further study it does empower you into thinking your not just a mom. we have local conmmmunity houses where interest courses are run ie dancing-belly sewing anything really and they have low cost or free care for kids usually 2 hrs. i used to get up and cycle when at mum/dads b/f ally got up then participate in events non competitve with bike assocition of our state. i even got to go on a 9 day ride leaving ally with parents. parents w/o partners should be good too or single mothers association local gov should be able to put you in touch with a source to help you find these communities. i have just moved away from friends and family for someone i thought was on the same page as me turns out he's not now im far away enrolled my 5 yr old in prep next year locally and don't feel right to move her again. im thinking of joining bushwalking group on week ends to help socialising aspect just found out ages b/w 40 - 60's y olds not quite what i wanted i suggested to her to maybe start with parenting walks with prams so i could take my daughter with me and meet other parents.
don't move from your parents it sux being there at that age but i regret it now as i dont have any support around me at least when i was living with them i could do stuff after she went to bed. let me tell you my friend has a unit in the city, work sending her to swizerland single great job and she is as miserable as me we as friends just dont like to tell one another these things sometimes so please remember while some look happy they can be just as miserable and alone as you. I found you have to make you happy first, keep the friend but use him as a friend to go out with not to sleep with as it plays havvock with your self esteem. Believe me i know and you always end back up in that depressive stage. if you just go out with him then its you calling the shots on your friendship not him using you to have *** when it suits him. if he doesn't like the idea or doesn't stick around he wasn't a true friend you need for your self esteem take care im on different time slot to u middle afternoon here but will always chat with you to see how you are going. take care melissa

I know what you mean. I moved to San Antonio to find better work. The friend I moved here with, and used to hang out with, just met a lovely girl and is getting married. The thing is, he never fully understood how deeply I felt for him. He is one of the best friends I have ever had, but it is killing me knowing he is with someone else and not with me. I thought I was really in love with him. I knew he did not feel exactly the same, but I never thought he would meet and be with someone else.
I am not angry with her, I am just jealous as hell because he is one of those guys that every girl wants to meet. He tells her he loves her everyday, he buys her things, he does things for her, he puts her on a pedastal.
Now all the people I know have a significant other, except me. My family is not speaking to me because of moving here. It has been a very lonely Christmas.
I keep asking GOD, why not me. The one thing I thought I wanted more than anything else in the world, and I can't find it, to find that special someone. I have a great new job I started, but my car got repoed. Things are getting better.
But the thought of spending the New Year alone is extremely depressing, already. I would love to find someone to go hang out with just for companionship. If anyone ever wants to chat, my im is kclayton1969 on yahoo and kittykatdc on msn.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Kat

I also have a child with high functioning autism who has special needs. It is very hard to meet someone who will accept you and your child. I have no car right now, and my friend who is staying with me during the holidays, has the only car and is gone with his girlfriend and her family. I am very alone with me and my son only. I sometimes wish I knew people here so I had someone to call that I could talk to. Thank the LORD for this site. It has gotten me through soem of the worst times. When I get to feeling really lonely and down. I come here and read the posts and know that I am not alone. The LORD has made each one of us a single parent because we are stronger than most and can talk more hardship. Five years ago, right after christmas on the 29th of December, I lost my fourth child to SIDS. It has been very hard to miss him and think of him every year. He would have been five this year, but I know he is in a special place. Remember all, the LORD is with us during this most difficult of times.

Kat