No one said it was going to be easy.
Growing up, I had the same dreams as everyone else. I would go to college, move to a small town in Texas, buy a Chewbacca mask, become internet famous, and find a man with a similar Chewbacca mask and level of internet fame with whom to start a family.
But the universe had other plans for me. And as I approached 35, still no Chewbacca Dad in sight, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands.
Let’s get one thing straight: Being a single Chewbacca Mom is tough. Between the growing cost of childcare, my company’s measly maternity leave policy, and the fact that the Chewbacca mask scares the living daylights out of my baby, sometimes I wish I had a second Chewbacca masked face to confide in.
But, despite the challenges, raising my son as a single Chewbacca Mom has been the single most rewarding experience of my life. Sure, I have my bad days. But when I look into the eyeholes of the miniature Chewbacca mask that I bought for my infant son on the way home from the hospital, I can’t imagine life without him.
A lot of people ask, would you be open to dating? Sure, if the right Chewbacca Man came along. But before you start DMing me, know this: I’m not looking for anything casual. No perennial Chewbacca bachelors here, please. If you want to date me, you’d better be someone I can see becoming a Chewbacca Father Figure to my son.
Whether or not my masked Mr. Right comes along, I know one thing for sure: I don’t need him. My love for my son enables me to be both a Chewbacca Mom and a Chewbacca Dad. And financially, I’m set. You wouldn’t believe the kind of ad revenue I get.
If I had one piece of advice for anyone considering embarking on a Chewbacca parenting journey on their own, it would be this: Believe in yourself.
That, and clean the mask with rubbing alcohol at least once a week. Those things can really start to stink.
