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January 19, 2009 | Modern Hygienist
How single moms make it work One hygienist’s story. After being asked to write this article about myself as a divorced parent practicing dental hygiene, I did not know if I could address those very difficult years. Reflecting back to that decade of single parenting floods me with mixed emotions, as it no doubt would any of my fellow single moms. I looked inward, trying to identify the source of strength that kept me waking up and making it through another day. Two things jumped into my head and heart: my terrific children—Benjamin and Sarah—as well as my office family and loving patients. Paying the bills I had been practicing dental hygiene in north Miami, Fla., for 16 years and had been married for 16 years when, in 1991, we got divorced. There I was, suddently completely independent in life, and therefor, absolutely dependent on my job—it was both great and frightening. My children were 11 and 8 year old, too young to understand that the future depended solely on mom. Our moving on with love and stability was my sole focus. I embraced my profession as a lifeline for my family and found myself working five days a week, from the first early patient to the last. I was the one getting off work late—too late, too many days. I was not able to send my children off to school and embrace them upon their return; that is something I can never bring back. My children were the ultimate “latch key kids” and I worried every school day until I got the, “I’m home, mom,” call. My primary boss during those single years, Dr. Morton Rosenbluth, was and still is a most compassionate and understanding man. He values my family as well as my abilities as a professional. I remember him during those emotional years, never making me put anything before my children, praising me as a professional, listening to my opinions, and sharing his knowledge—he practiced exceptional periodontal and implant surgery. Missing the time spent with my children, it was my patients that helped fill my days with a sense of accomplishment. They were “parents and grandparents” to me, as mine had died when I was young. They were so much more than charts to write up and mouths to clean; I never felt anything other than devotion to them and I got so much more in return. This was the early 1990’s—almost 20 years ago—and I had patients happily returning for their recall appointments three or four, and in some cases even six, times a year. I took meticulous care of them and they, in turn, were abundant with support and wisdom to me. I made it through knowing I would see them and hear from them frequently in so many ways. My co-workers and I were a dysfunctional family of sorts, but co-existed in a supportive, humorous atmosphere. Fellow dental hygienists and dental assistants also experienced life as hard-working single parents at different periods. We shared the trials and tribulations of dating, working and family and our enormous responsibility to our children. We got through the days by sharing tremendous emotional support for each other. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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