Sometimes I forget how lucky I am. As a single mother I’ve always had a great support system. Even though my ex husband was not always helpful I live close to my sisters and have some wonderful friends. A friend of mine is not so lucky. She is the only child of a single mother and is now a single mother of three. She is also pretty young and hasn’t quite developed the support system some of us have. My friend has to have surgery next week. She has a tumor in her back that has to be removed. That … Continue reading →

Today has been one of those days. What am I saying, it’s been one of those weeks. Those weeks when you would give anything to have someone else take some of the burden, someone else who could find the right thing to say, someone else to know exactly how you are feeling. That’s not going to happen. I’m a single mother, this is my life, no one else’s and as much as other people love my daughter and I, when you get right down to it, it’s just the two of us. Just my daughter, making decisions,changing her mind, turning … Continue reading →

Planning a wedding for your child as a single parent has it’s own special set of challenges. Who knew that a divorce really would affect everything? With the current rate of divorce and remarriage just the names on the wedding invitations could cause it to be more than a page long. Then you get into who pays for what. The brides family traditionally pays for the wedding, but what happens when you are divorced and you and your ex can’t agree on what constitutes the wedding of your daughters dreams? A fairy tale carriage ride, every little girls Cinderella dream … Continue reading →

I love being a mother, I really do and most days I even love being a single mother. There are things that make it difficult but most of the time, it’s so worthwhile I wouldn’t trade being a single mother for anything. Today I’m feeling a little silly so here is my list of things that really stink about being a single parent. Being the only driver. No matter where you go as a single mother of a small child you have to drive, even twelve hours to California, it’s just you. Putting your kids to bed and realizing you … Continue reading →

Studies show that people who live alone are more prone to depression and other mental health issues than people who don’t. This, of course, includes all of us single mothers. No we don’t live along, we have plenty of company, but can you really work on your budget with a six year old? Or talk about how your boss treated you, or health worries you have, or really, anything significant? No, we can’t, our children are not our peers and should not be burdened with our worries. So we internalize a lot of it and that can lead to depression. … Continue reading →

Are you making your life harder than it has to be? Are you trying to live up to some perfect ideal mother image that no one, in the history of the world has been able to maintain? Some women make it look like they have the world at their feet, their kids are never bratty, their house is never messy, their hair is always perfect and they bake for the neighborhood. It’s a farce, no one is perfect all the time. As a single mother I was determined to be everything to Hailey. I would be the best mom, so … Continue reading →

Worry and anxiety are part of being a parent. There are so many things to worry about, is this rash serious, is my child’s behavior normal, is she learning at an appropriate rate, does she eat enough. The list goes on and on, when you are a single parent there are a few more worries to add to the list. How will it affect my child growing up in a single parent home? Who will help me when I’m sick? Where is the money coming from for braces? And that is just the tip of the iceberg. At times life … Continue reading →

Today I was reminded again of how hard it is when your kids lie. My friends little girl told a pretty big lie, she got scared on her way to school and said someone tried to abduct her. Of course the police were out in force, parents were notified and the news crews came in. A few hours later she told them she lied. I can’t imagine how her Mom feels, living through every parents worst nightmare and then, after all these community resources are expended, to find out it wasn’t true. Most people have been cruel, pointing a finger … Continue reading →

Isn’t it nice to know that Madonna struggles as a single parent too? Excuse me while I go in the other room and scream! I may be a little bitter about it but if I hear one more extremely wealthy woman complain about how hard it is to juggle single motherhood and her career I think my head is going to explode. I wonder how many nights Madonna has walked the floor with a teething infant or been woken up multiple times by a toddler with night terrors and then had to take that same tired, cranky child to daycare … Continue reading →

Most of the time I consider myself a sane and rational human being, I would like to think that most of the time the rest of the world is sane and rational as well. Especially the people who write our laws, I want them to be intelligent and compassionate, I want them to look out for children, but I don’t want them to write laws that will point the finger at me because I am a single parent. Today I am not rational at all, as a matter of fact I am quite livid. Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grotham has … Continue reading →