Single Parent Guilt

I am a lesbian. I have cats. The second point was probably obvious. My cats were born of my previous LTR.  As a product of gay divorce, they have taken over the apartment and completely dominate our shared environment. If Chobee wants to lie in the sink, who am I to stop her? If Luxie wants to walk all over me and smoosh her face into mine at 4am, what can I say? If Zeke….well he’s the baby and always perfect so, no complaints. Our family was broken and their other mom lives 600 miles away (fine with me) and so I have absorbed all the guilt of being a single parent to three rambunctious kitties. They have a step-mom (of course, who didn’t see that coming) who loves them dearly, but does not share my lackadaisical parenting.  She arms herself with the spray bottle, waiting patiently for one to jump on the table or scratch at the couch or try to eat our mac n cheese and BAM mist to kitty face. I keep thinking that tomorrow will be the day I start to discipline them again, but alas tomorrow never comes.  If we’d had to split a daughter, I swear she’d be knocked up and on meth by now.  I’m thankful there was no lengthy custody battle. I’m thankful I was able to keep them all with me. I’m thankful that my girlfriend understood early on that my kitties are always #1. But DAMN if these cats don’t take full advantage of that fucking divorce.