A. Allen: A tribute to single mothers

Mother’s Day is still precious. I am glad for it because it gives us a chance to express our appreciation for our mothers. After all, you only get one.

That brings me to the thought of, "only one per family." It has always been "Mama’s baby and daddy’s maybe," meaning the mother is always the mother of the baby that comes out of her womb, and the father sometimes becomes questionable. He may deny the baby and sometimes walk away. Some men have a change in sexual orientation. They may walk away but others get into trouble trying to provide for their family illegally and may be incarcerated.

Nevertheless, the family must go on. The mothers are the ones who take on the dual leadership. They become the mother and the father in the household. They provide food, clothing and shelter for the children. For the black single parent mother this has become a way of life and so many single parent mothers have gotten used to it.

It may seem normal, but it is not. Children need both parents to be involved in their lives, because it takes two to tango and it takes a village to raise children. This is why I take my hat off and salute the singleparent mother, because you have been and are doing a very magnificent job of being a mother and a father. Happy Mother’s-Father’s Day to all you single mothers.

Vendor A. Allen as a child with his mother.