I picked up this mornings' paper and was delighted to see that the entire country is experiencing a bit of the life of a single mom — "hand counts and recounts." Our lives are one big roller coaster of recounts. I can't think of a day of my life as a single mom that I'm not involved in this arduous process.

Think about it. Recounting the bill totals to see if one more dollar could be found to leverage the kids' vote for a night out at the movies. Then there is the recount of all the change in the bottom of our handbags, hoping there are enough quarters, dimes, nickels or pennies to add up to a few more dollars.

Or, how about the daily recount of missing socks? Yep, there are always missing socks to be found. Sometimes, they have disappeared only to be found after their mate has been thrown away.

We have even named some of our more frequent recounts. The One-Two-Three is probably our most famous. You know, "If you don't stop doing that by the count of three you are going to your room. No, I mean it — 1-2-3 ..."

We use hand recounts especially for our teenage constituents. Recounting the minutes they are late for curfew. Recounting the number of times we have to walk by their room and close the door because it is so messy. Recounting the number of times we say, "How many times do I have to tell you??"

Last, but undoubtedly not least, are the recounts on the men in our lives. Let's see ... there are the ones who mysteriously disappeared, the ones who weren't quite sure what they really wanted, the one's who we thought had our vote but by closer inspection, really didn't ...

Not only are we forever recounting, but also someone is always challenging our results. Sometimes it is our own children, family and friends. Occasionally it's the bill collectors or even our own government — the IRS. And when it comes to getting all of those recounts done, there certainly aren't a plethora of dedicated volunteers showing up at our "camp" at 7 a.m. to help.

Single moms are in actuality the experts at hand counts and recounts. Our lives revolve around them. It's frustrating, it's confusing and yes, it's time consuming. But it is part of our process. It's written into the Constitution of Single Motherhood and it's critical that we get it right.

So, stop all the fussing and whining about the Florida election recounts. Just get on with it. In fact, it you really want to get it done right, call in the experts. Women who know 1-2-3 like the back of their hand, women who go to sleep counting and wake up recounting, women who are used to being challenged on their results, women who have made recounting an art and a science — Single Moms. And while you are at it, send a few of those dedicated volunteer our way.

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