I've been a single mother since my daughter was 9 months old (she'll be 16 in October). When this first became our reality, I cried every night and she being a baby cried also. We used to get up in the morning, I dropped her off at a home day care and went to work. It was such a struggle to get through the day-seeing my married coworkers raising their children in one home would put me in a depression. After work I would pick up my daughter, walk in the door of our apartment, and sit on the floor of the livingroom and start to cry. She'd join me, not knowing why we were crying but crying simply because she saw her mother crying. Just writing this has brought back more tears from that difficult time. I have a huge family (120+ people easily). Some knew the reason I became a single parent, some did not. All of my family have supported me in some way. Word of encouragement & support, babysitting when I needed it, a ride when I didn't have a car. I wouldn't be able to do this w/out a great support system they provide.

I have always been a single mom. My son is 15 now and the light of my life. The hardest part of being a single parent is leaving him when I didn't want to. I have been blessed to have always been able to provide for him. I always wanted to do more, be more. I try and do the best I can do and he seems to show it. It can be done. A woman does not need a man to make her complete or to raise a child. Some are more of a hinderson then a help.

My son is going on four and it has been just the two of us for about two years now! I've been both a married mom and a single mom, but they're very different and it's hard to compare the two. I would say that the most difficult thing about being a single parent is shouldering all of the household responsibilities alone. It gets frustrating when you can't get everything done that you were shooting for, but you learn to cut yourself a little slack here and there. A perk is being the ultimate decision maker...what I say goes, there aren't any arguments or discussions about how things run. Some single moms say it's nice not to have the extra worries of caring for and supporting a husband, but unless you're committed to staying single you still have the dating world to worry about. Generally, I would say that single parenthood is more difficult and demanding than the married life, but it all depends on your situation. A wonderful support system of friends and family makes all the difference in the world. :o)

My son is going on four and it has been just the two of us for about two years now! I've been both a married mom and a single mom, but they're very different and it's hard to compare the two. I would say that the most difficult thing about being a single parent is shouldering all of the household responsibilities alone. It gets frustrating when you can't get everything done that you were shooting for, but you learn to cut yourself a little slack here and there. A perk is being the ultimate decision maker...what I say goes, there aren't any arguments or discussions about how things run. Some single moms say it's nice not to have the extra worries of caring for and supporting a husband, but unless you're committed to staying single you still have the dating world to worry about. Generally, I would say that single parenthood is more difficult and demanding than the married life, but it all depends on your situation. A wonderful support system of friends and family makes all the difference in the world. :o)

I am a married mother but my own mother was a single parent of three children so I can offer the single parent perspective fromt he childs view I think. She was only married seven years so I don't actually remember my father ever living with us. For me life was always Mon - Sat with mom and Sunday was Daddy day, so to speak. I never thought of us as being from a broken home or different from others because my parents never lead us to believe that. they never talked about how a 'traditional' family was not like our own. All this made me come to the conclusion that you as the parent set down what is 'normal' for your children. If you make your situation a happy one then your child will be happy. You are the teacher. I love my mother and always look back on my childhood with joy, it was a wonderful time in my life and help make me into the person I am now. A person I very much like. Thanks Mom. And the same goes for every other mother who is going it alone, you are wonderful.

I'm a single mom to a happy and healthy two-year-old daughter. The man I had been dating seriously, and assumed I would marry, decided fatherhood wasn't for him and left us when I was three months pregnant.
Like the other moms here have said, I couldn't have done this without my support system. My family and friends have been so wonderful...loving and caring and patient and available to both me and my daughter.
I'm going back to school now to get my masters degree, so it's tough working full-time and going to school part-time and I'm so sorry I can't spend each and every day with my girl.
I still have a little lingering depression and feelings of disgust for her "father", but I'm putting those behind me and concentrating on being the best mom I can be.

I love the Today Show. I have been a dedicated daily watcher since it started. I was watching the topic of Single Mothers. I took notes for my Son. I am here for the Summer taking care of my Grandson who is 7 years old being raised totally by my Son. I live out of town. I drove 250 plus miles in my old car to do this spending several hundred $$$$ to have my car roadworthy maintenance and tires so I could take my Grandson to and from daycare and help with errands etc. My Son has my Grandson 99% of the time. I have viewed this myself. I was a stay at home Mother with 4 children I loved and dedicated all of my time daily to my family and it was not a bother or a chore to do this. I guess maybe I was different I was raised in Melbourne Australia and Mothers stayed at home. I am staying a few weeks longer putting off things to help with Dylan to and from home daily as school just started awaiting to see what the Mother can do so I can return to my home. I have cried and think about this a lot.

I love the Today Show. I have been a dedicated daily watcher since it started. I was watching the topic of Single Mothers. I took notes for my Son. I am here for the Summer taking care of my Grandson who is 7 years old being raised totally by my Son. I live out of town. I drove 250 plus miles in my old car to do this spending several hundred $$$$ to have my car roadworthy maintenance and tires so I could take my Grandson to and from daycare and help with errands etc. My Son has my Grandson 99% of the time. I have viewed this myself. I was a stay at home Mother with 4 children I loved and dedicated all of my time daily to my family and it was not a bother or a chore to do this. I guess maybe I was different I was raised in Melbourne Australia and Mothers stayed at home. I am staying a few weeks longer putting off things to help with Dylan to and from home daily as school just started awaiting to see what the Mother can do so I can return to my home. I have cried and think about this a lot. Help!!

I love the Today Show. I have been a dedicated daily watcher since it started. I was watching the topic of Single Mothers. I took notes for my Son. I am here for the Summer taking care of my Grandson who is 7 years old being raised totally by my Son. I live out of town. I drove 250 plus miles in my old car to do this spending several hundred $$$$ to have my car roadworthy maintenance and tires so I could take my Grandson to and from daycare and help with errands etc. My Son has my Grandson 99% of the time. I have viewed this myself. I was a stay at home Mother with 4 children I loved and dedicated all of my time daily to my family and it was not a bother or a chore to do this. I guess maybe I was different I was raised in Melbourne Australia and Mothers stayed at home. I am staying a few weeks longer putting off things to help with Dylan to and from home daily as school just started awaiting to see what the Mother can do so I can return to my home. I have cried and think about this a lot. Help!!

Thank you so much for this thoughtful and insightful post!

I would like to say this: healthy parents make healthy kids.

That's it in a nutshell, coming from a single mom who has been solo for 7+ years. I greatly appreciate all of the advice here about leaning on friends and family. Bravo.

Best,
Rachel http://www.singlemomseeking.com

I am a divorced, single-parent by choice. My son is now twenty years old. He was taught very young that he has a heavenly father who lives in our house. The act of trying to keep the bad elements from entering the home is the challenge. As for me and my house, we serve the Lord. He has been my strength. Our needs have been met everyday. Regardless of how we are looked upon by others, we know that we are loved.

To all you single Mothers out there. I was one for the teenage years with my youngest Son. I did everything I possibly could to make him have the things others did and to love and care and house him. I worked hard I totally cared and supported him. At 21 I puchased a small house trailer and took care of all the utility hookups and new air conditioner to start him off in life. He has been working the same job since then and will turn 30 soon and has never asked for help. He recently purchased a home with no help from any of the family. I am so proud of him and with a good Mother there is always good results. It may seem forever at the time but it pays off it did with me. I am so proud of his independence that I always had starting myself at 16. So to the good Single Mothers who choose to be unselfish and put there children as a major priority I praise you that is your child and it is your job to help them in life to get started and like me this will result in no worries later on.

To all you single Mothers out there. I was one for the teenage years with my youngest Son. I did everything I possibly could to make him have the things others did and to love and care and house him. I worked hard I totally cared and supported him. At 21 I puchased a small house trailer and took care of all the utility hookups and new air conditioner to start him off in life. He has been working the same job since then and will turn 30 soon and has never asked for help. He recently purchased a home with no help from any of the family. I am so proud of him and with a good Mother there is always good results. It may seem forever at the time but it pays off it did with me. I am so proud of his independence that I always had starting myself at 16. So to the good Single Mothers who choose to be unselfish and put there children as a major priority I praise you that is your child and it is your job to help them in life to get started and like me this will result in no worries later on.

I am in the process of IUI with donor sperm and will be a single mom and can not wait! I have not met Mr Right for me and am getting older. I can not imagine my life without a child.

I've been a single mom my sons entire life. There are a lot of good times as well as bad. Sometimes you're to tired to wash the dishes in the sink. My friends always told me to spend time with my child the housework will wait. I guess it's time to start on the housework because I dropped my son off at college last week. The house seems really empty now. I thought raising him by myself was bad until I got the college tuition bill. That will take another 10 years to pay off. I guess the most important thing is to find that support group (family, friends, neighbors) that are around when you need them. Good luck single moms. Remember take one day at a time and try to enjoy each day.

I have been a single mom for 9 years. I have one son and have raised him since birth. It can be exhausting so don't try to do it all. Housework can wait. I made sure my son liked to read and I also made a point to take him to museums and other events. We have good times together.The hardest parat was leaving him when he was little. I wanted to scream at moms who couldn't wait to ditch their kids at the Y.

WoW congrat's to all you super mom's you deserve a million buck's!!may god bless all of you.One day your child will look at you and say thank's mom and that will be your best gratification you've ever had.Agian good work!!!!!!!

Hey fellow singles...need some help! I brought my daughter home from Russia 1 year ago, she is 3 and a half now. That makes me a 44 year old new mamma! Yikes! Things are great but twice this week my daughter asked me who her Daddy is? The Daddy factor at daycare has her wondering. Not sure how to address this, I never expected it so soon. Looking for a simple, honest answer...

To all of you out there on the fence about becoming Moms...just go for it, you'll sort out the hard stuff, and the other stuff is AMAZING.

Who's daddy? The way I dealt with that the very first time my son asked, around 2 yrs old, was to explain the difference between a father who physically gives a mother some of the pieces to make a tiny tiny baby who grows in the mother's tummy, and a daddy, who loves, cares for, feeds, plays with, and kisses that baby. He knows who is father with, waivers on whether we want a daddy, because he knows he would not have as much say in decisions and we'd probably be less spontaneous with someone else to consider.
Of course, we draw a similar distinction between mothers and mamas, and I tell him all the time what a lucky mama I am to have him as my child.
As for single motherhood--I sometimes get irritated by the single moms who claim to be going it alone, then talk about what their mother said about the way the kitchen's set up making it hard for her to cook the way she wants, or getting her kids ready for evening/weekend with dad. I'm not sure what that's called, but it's nowhere near single w family 1000+ away.

Momalonenotlonely,
Thanks for saying how hard it is to leave your little one! I would love to homeschool my son (He just turned 5). We've always read together; he started reading at 3.5. Like you, we go to events and make a point to check out museums and sights every time we have to travel for my work.
One of my biggest conflicts with my mother and sister has been their consistent pestering that I need time for "me" and their ongoing attitude that time away from the kid = relief. I know Mom had us before she was ready. Going through this about him has me rehashing lots of childhood conflict.
I waited a long time for my kid, love to be with him, love to see every little petal and leaf unfolding, don't want to miss any more than I absolutely have to. This fall he's been home while I work from home 2 days/wk. We've both had to learn to adapt, but I'm glad we took the plunge. He's wonderful! I had some guilt about enjoying him so much for a while, really appreciate you saying how much you enjoy the time with yours