What's the best/worst part of being a single parent?

Question

I'm going to be single parent in 8 months and would like to hear from other single parents what the great things there are about doing it alone, and also what are the hardships or struggles that have come from it as well.

Answer 1

Money is tough.....however, everything else is grand!!

I love how she gets excited about stuff, or if something good/bad happens she can always count on me.

the bad part, I can't unbreak her heart when her father breaks promises to come and see her. That's the hard part, I have to be grown up enough not to scratch his eyes out for hurting my baby, because she still loves him.

Answer 2

Greatest things....well not to much that I personally can say that was and is great about it. I had my first alone, at least I did not kill him, this is something I am very proud of.

Lonely comes to mind. I never thought I would have the guy who I made all these plans with run off when I got pregnant, never would have had s*x with him if I was not believing his bs. I was well in my 20's and new not to sleep around.

Good thing is I new how to work and care for the both of us. Very long nights there at first. Baby sitters were a must and I felt so guilty leaving him with strangers. We did not live in the best of places for I could not afford it. He did not have all the baby stuff, so I dealt with it.

I stayed away from dating and such for I felt guilty even going to work. I wanted him to be number one for the first   year at least .

Bla bla time past and walla I am divorced, single mother of three. One is disabled. I found a good man but will not marry him just yet. He needs to get some things in order before I marry him. My children and I expect nothing less..... and I know I can raise my kids on my own, I have done it way to long. It is nice having a man around, though I no I can do it on my own, my guy knows I can too.

So I guess it gives a women a feeling of not having to put up with  bs. A knowing we can do it on our own? Boys do need a man to look up too.....

Anyhoo hope this helps you....

Answer 3

I'm the child of a single parent; well, was before she got married years down the line. I'm 15 now...

One thing I remember as a child was how hard it was for her to get money. Since she had dropped out of college long before I was born, and decided to go back when I was about 3, she was in a constant bind of how she was going to make ends with for my younger brother, her, and myself. Even at such a young age, I realized the situation; so, any money I did get went straight to her, not that she would make me give it to her; it was free will, and I would refuse to take it back. Another thing I know she struggled with was balancing her school, work, and family life. Since she went to school part-time, then had to work, and then had to come home to us, she was always tired. However, everything isn't bad, and money definitely isn't everything. You see, my father wasn't really in the picture from the time I was three to five, at all, and then barely to this day. So, my mom had pretty much all the decisions of how I was going to be raised, what discipline methods would be used, and where/when I would go to daycare, school, church, etcetera. In all honesty, I'm glad she was the one who did all the "lesson teaching", because I'm aware that if he would have been in the picture, that I probably wouldn't be half the person I am now.

Answer 4

The worst part of being a single parent is not having anyone to share the joy and the pain with.  It's so hard to know that you're the only one in the house to go get the baby when he wakes up crying for the fifth time that night and you're just totally exhausted.  Or when you have to buy your mortified pre-teen his first jock strap!  It's also hard when you look at your little baby and you're just awed and you just have this urge to have the person who helped you make it sitting by your side feeling the same joy.

The best part of being a single parent is that you and the kids have a special relationship that's born out of the common knowledge that it's just the two of you in this.  I think this bond is especially strong between mothers and sons, or fathers and daughters.  It's hard for the child to step up and shoulder the responsibility that by rights should have belonged to the missing parent, but it's so neat to see the little baby you created becoming this responsible person who is capable of navigating the world on their own.