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"    A few days ago, I found myself sitting in a shady area of a local playground in Union Square, NYC. I&amp;#039;d just finished running around with Aiden, chasing him from the slides to the swings and back again. Before the playground, we had lunch at a local diner and before that, we were at his swimming class. I was pretty tired, but the kid seemed to think he was competing with the Energizer Bunny.  At that moment, I decided to unwind that evening with a glass of wine once I had tucked Aiden into bed and kissed him good night. I mentally scanned my kitchen cupboards and refrigerator and remembered that I was all out of wine. Aiden and I would have to make a quick run to the Trader Joe&amp;#039;s Wine Shop before heading home on the subway.  As we were walking toward the wine shop, I realized something: Aiden was coming with me so that I could pick up booze! I was that mom. But what is a single mom to do?! When Aiden inquired about it \u2014 as any curious kid would \u2014 I simply told him that we were going to buy something that mommy is allowed to drink, and that he would be allowed to drink once he becomes a grown up.  As we were walking towards the subway to head home, I realized something: I&amp;#039;ve got #singlemomproblems \u2014 not a lot, but a few. And here they are: 1. Explaining to Aiden why he&amp;#039;s the only kid in the wine shop. Awkward.  2. Having a million and one pictures of just Aiden (because I&amp;#039;m the one who takes all of them), but not very many pictures with Aiden (because there&amp;#039;s no one to take it for us).  3. Turning down guys who try to hit on me\u2026 in front of Aiden. &amp;quot;Yes, this is my son. No, I&amp;#039;m not with his father anymore. No, I will not take your phone number. No, you definitely cannot have my phone number. No, I&amp;#039;m not looking for a stepfather for him.&amp;quot;  4. Discussing my love life (or lack thereof) with Aiden and having to justify why I&amp;#039;m [still] single. I kid you not. Here&amp;#039;s one of our recent conversations: Aiden: (daydreaming) I&amp;#039;m thinking about a wish. Me: Oh yeah? What are you wishing for? Aiden: I wish\u2026 that I could run super fast like The Flash and fight all the bad guys. Me: Wow! That would be cool to run like The Flash! Aiden: What do you wish for? Me: Hmm...I wish... Aiden: That you could get married? Me: Um, no. I wasn&amp;#039;t going to say that. Aiden: Well, when will you get married? You&amp;#039;re a grown-up, so you&amp;#039;re supposed to get married. Me: Well, I have to meet someone first. Aiden: Why don&amp;#039;t you meet someone and then get married? Me: I&amp;#039;m trying to Aiden, but it&amp;#039;s rough out there... And that&amp;#039;s when I realized something: I was talking to a four-year-old. #SingleMomProblems Alicia Harper, M.A., Ed.M. is a single mother, freelance writer, blogger, and recent graduate of Columbia University who&amp;#039;s now a mental health therapist. Her life is filled with all things pink, except for the one bit of blue\u2014her rambunctious 4-year-old son. Together they make a great pair, and Alicia chronicles the trials and triumphs of being a young, single mother living in NYC at Mommy Delicious. Find her on Facebook and Twitter. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/news/a14282/single-mom-problems/>