A good woman manages things herself...?

My motto is: A good woman manages things herself. But what any woman needs is encouragement...

Now I'm thinking back. I was a single mother, during years having own responsibility for two kids, with worry for the kids dad in the back of my head and working full time. After some years such a situation gets tiring.

In that situation, what did people tell me?
Either they shared with me that they thought I had a hopeless situation (hopeless? I didn't find it hopeless...). Or they were complaining. I received complaints about my home not being tidy enough (typically when they arrived unexpectedly), my kids were too slim (did they really get proper food..?) or that I was working too much (did I spend enough time with the kids..?).

From my point of view, I didn't get much encouragement, almost never any real rest and sometime not even help when I asked for it. Once when I was having certain relatives over (probably for lunch) I asked if I could get some help to move three some large cupboards (2.4m high) across a room. I remember the answer "no, I don't think you should move those", "they fit much better where they are". Guess who moved the damn cupboards myself across the room, when they had left? (Anything in a home apart from a grand piano is possible to move for one person using a carpet and some imagination.)

Maybe I am very unfair now when I complain. Sometimes I got help, during the kids vacations they were welcome to visit relatives, which was like heaven for me. Unfortunately when the kids got older they refused to go. Some relative living in the neighborhood was never ever babysitting! Sometimes I got "help" that I didn't wanted or needed. Like getting my flowers repot, when I would rather have gone out dancing.

Now I am keeping my home much more tidy, and I am cooking proper food and I have time for my teenagers (they are no small kids any longer). Now I am fulfilling the implied requirements put on mothers. Well, it feels pretty good. No complaints, except from a certain person who probably never will stop complaining about my taste, my furniture, my ways etc. (I assume complaining on a close relative just shows that you're not happy with yourself.)

The only problem is that I don't earn any money nowadays, so this MUST be a temporary situation. Besides I will find this very boring over time.

If you happen to know any single mother, please tell her "you're doing a great job" whatever she does. Because, that's what she needs to hear! That will give her energy to become an even better mother. No complaints, whatsoever! Please, remember that...