The Struggles of Single Parenting

The act of raising child(ren) alone either by the father or by the mother is referred to as single parenting. It is when either of the parents are deceased, separated or divorced. A lot of parents did not become single by choice but by circumstances beyond their control. An example are single parents who lost their partners. Others opted for it for reasons best known to them.

As a single parent, you are saddled with the responsibility of caring for your children alone with or without assistance. This goes with a lot of responsibilities if you are saddled with the responsibility of providing financially. The list of activities is unending. You are saddled with the responsibility of getting your kids up from bed to their shower, feeding them, dropping off and picking up your child from school. Immediately after school, they have piles of homework to complete which may require little or no assistance if you are lucky. Then you make the meal and ensure they are feed. The child(ren) clothing have to be washed, groceries have to be picked. Also, they have to take a shower before going to bed.

Should any of the child(ren) fall sick, you would be saddled with the responsibility of caring for them. Most especially if you have more than one. You would have to shuttle in between hospital visits. However, if one is on admission, you may have to find someone to leave the other child(ren) with. If you have no support system, this may be stressful and emotionally challenging. Being a single parent naturally comes with its challenges as the shared responsibility for two becomes what one has to process and be mentally fit to handle.

In addition, the child is faced with answering so many questions by people ranging from their classmates, friends, teachers and so on. Sometimes, this may be too much for the child to handle as some kids are always at a loss of what to tell their friends. For example, it is easy for the child(ren) who have lost their parents to share their story. However, due to the societal stigma, some child(ren) may not be able to boldly respond to questions about their any of the absent parent.

For women in this part of the world, the stigma comes with a lot of opportunity cost. If a single woman needs to rent a house or buy a property, they face a lot of embarrassment as most house owners feel it is not safe to lease their property to single parents. Part of their defense was that the single parent may not be able to pay rent as time goes by or may become promiscuous. Others feel single parenthood comes with so much drama / threats from ex-partners and thus prefers not to have them on their property.

Some religious centers also raise eyebrow as to reasons other than death for single parenting. In some religious centers, members are advised to leave or leave their positions should they become divorced / separated. They feel that there is no reason other than death for separation. No matter the causes which may vary from abuse to toxic relationship to mention but a few. Some parents also feel that it is not safe for their own kids to be friends with children with single parent.

Single parents also find themselves in some unpleasant circumstances should they lack the financial capacity to support themselves, but they just keep continue to stay strong. For them, relating with people becomes an issue as sometimes when things go wrong, they get the negative energy from others. The decision that has to be made by two people becomes what just one person begin to process

Please hug any single parent that you see out there because majority of them are going through a lot. Some are also lonely.

#MMBA4