I was shocked when I first became a single mother. Wolf was two years old and I had been with his dad for eight years. I hated the term. I struggled. I never thought I’d find myself in such a position and felt so exposed, vulnerable and damn terrified.
There have been some truly hideous years, but Wolf recently turned seven and amongst the complete joy and pride I felt, I found myself thinking, “I’ve made it so far”. And wow, it’s one of the most magnificent and overwhelming thoughts I’ve had.
It’s my greatest achievement.
It got me thinking about being a single mother, and while it can be without a doubt incredibly hard, there are some upsides, which I’d like to revel in. Just for a bit.
I’ve been contemplating the issue of burn out lately. In my experience PR can drive a lot of people to crash. I don’t think it’s anything deliberate or malicious, just the nature of an industry that’s always running on deadline and in a fast, rapidly changing environment –not to mention the consistent competition (internally, with other agencies, other brands, other voices, other ideas, etc).
Catherine Donnelly 