What If I Stopped Talking? Why I’m Considering Privacy Over Sharing as a Christian Single Mother

Some days, I wonder.

What if I stopped talking?

What if I stopped sharing the behind-the-scenes of single motherhood — the tears, the tug-of-war between strength and softness, the quiet battles no one claps for? What if I chose silence over vulnerability? Privacy over transparency? What if I curled up with my stories and locked them away? This is why I’m considering privacy over sharing as a Christian single mother.

I think about it often.

Because the truth is, baring your soul isn’t always liberating. Sometimes, it’s exhausting. Sometimes, it feels like standing naked in a storm while the world watches — some with empathy, some with curiosity, and some with judgment disguised as advice.

They say, “You’re so strong. I don’t know how you do it.”

But what if I told you I’m tired of being strong? What if I told you I don’t always want to inspire or be the face of resilience? What if I’m just… a woman? A mother? A human trying to figure things out?

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you.”
— Isaiah 46:4

Some days, I don’t want to carry stories. I want to be carried.

There’s a weight that comes with sharing — especially when you’re walking through healing while helping others do the same. The expectation to always have a word, a lesson, a caption-worthy takeaway can feel like another job. And sometimes, I just want to be — without explaining, without narrating, without needing to make pain poetic.