Question for single parents?

Question

Do you think that you have a different type of bond with your children than your married counterparts? If so, in what way? Is it different with your daughters than it is your sons? Thanks for answering!

Answer 1

I wasn't a single parent for long, but I was left in the delivery room with my baby, and before my fiance came along, I was a single mother. I think that in a way, my daughter and I connected on a different level. I felt like I needed her more, even if I wasn't dependent on her. I also felt like she needed me more. We were all each other had.

Answer 2

I think that being a single/divorced mom who has pretty much raised my boys without a father involved that I have a very special bond with them and since I don't have to share them and I don't have to discuss things with their father before doing something for them that my bond is different.  Married couples usually go to each other and talk out decisions and have to agree to things and sometimes one doesn't agree but just gives in or they start fighting.  I don't have to do that.  I only have boys which is interesting being a single mom of boys but i think even if i had a daughter it would be the same thing but of course i wasn't a daddy's girl either.  I just prefered being with my mom.

Answer 3

It's so interesting that you ask this.  I got pregnant nearly 5 years ago, and my son's Father was totally not on the scene at all (i.e. lived on the other side of the world !).  So I never knew anything other than being a totally single Mother.

Then a year ago I met a wonderful guy and I'm now 6 months pregnant with my second son.

The feeling that I have for this baby is so so different to the feeling that I had for my son.  I have tried explaining to friends, but few seem to understand that there is no closer bond that you can have with an individual person than if you're a single Mum, I can't even describe it but there is something about been a "team" or a "tight unit".  Even during pregnancy with my oldest son, I had this feeling "oh my gosh baby, it's you and me in the world".

Now that I'm having this baby it's totally different - it feels much more like this child is just part of a family and part of my life, there is nothing like that intense bonding I felt with my oldest son even in pregnancy.  Because one of the reasons you love your child so much is their vulnerability, that is infinitely heightened when the child has NO OTHER PERSON IN THE WORLD APART FROM YOU !  I know that this baby has a Mother, a Father and Brother - so even if something happened to me he'd be fine !

I hope I don't sound too silly trying to describe totally indescribable things !  But I guess that I just wanted to express that as hard as single parenthood can be (and my gosh it's hard) that in some ways I miss it.  Don't think I'll be going out of my way to go back to it but it's definitely not all bad, and I think that only people who are or have been single parents can understand.

Answer 4

b4 my mom got remarried i always(and still do) have a stronger bond with her over my biological dad and step-dad, it was always easier for her to raise girls than my brothers, i wouldnt know much about single prenting cuz ive alwys had my bf there even tho he isnt her father.

Answer 5

I was a single mum from the beggining (long, sad story as to why) and I had (still have, but the teenage years are upon us and I'm dreading!) a very special bond with my daughter. We were very poor and I was very young but i made sure i kept a very close bond with her. We co-slept and i always carried her in a pouch (until she started walking and i was chasing after her) and she just grew up being super close to me. I mean we just had eachother (apart from lots of friends and family who loved us!) and there was no real way we live together without a close bond. Haha. Things have changed a bit these days, three more kids later and husband and a much more hectic life, but we still love eachother a lot and she always knows t turn to me for support and attention!