dearscarlet:

Dear Scarlet,
I’m 24 years old, 24 and a half to be specific. A lot of people my age either have careers or are well on their way to getting to that point. When I got pregnant with you, your dad and I decided that it would be best for me to stay at home as much as possible. Neither one of us liked the idea of daycare. I’ve spent the past 5 years either growing you in my body or raising you. I never want you to feel like I regret this. While I never want you to be financially trapped into a situation, I also want you to hear this loud and clear: They have paychecks. I have you. Maybe things are a little rough around here money-wise, being a single mom wasn’t part of the plan. But, Scar, sometimes you have to say screw the plan. Sometimes you have to jump ship. There are so much more important things than money, and knowing when to throw in the towel is one of them. There is more than one way to live happily ever after. There’s no shame in doing things backwards. Maybe we’ll be doing homework and going to school at the same time, but I promise I will try my absolute hardest to be sure that you never go without. Your dad would also never let that happen. I guess my point here is this: You had a heartbeat before a bank account, so always always tend to your heart first. Never confuse the word can’t with the word haven’t. I love you, and staying home with you for these first four years was absolutely one of the greatest privileges of my life. I’m so thankful for your father for working so that it could be a reality. I’m going to figure out exactly the why the universe needs me and work as hard as I can to fulfill it and provide for you.