What are the common struggles of being a single mom?
Photo by Benjamin Manley on Unsplash
Raising a child is not a walk in the park experience and is even more challenging if you’re a single mother. Facing life as a single mother can be challenging, and there will be many hurdles along the way. You can still overcome the challenges and thrive, and so can your children. In society, there are a growing number of problems that face single mothers, such as lack of a support system, financial struggles, emotional battles, and many more. Whether you’re a single mother by choice or you had a significant life-changing experience, the point is that you’ve gone through a lot of hardships. In this article, we explore some of the common problems that single mothers face.
Child support
Child support is the custodial parent’s money from the non-custodial parent to help meet their daily needs. For child support to happen, it should be done through the appropriate Child Support Enforcement (CSE) measures and the court system. Often, single mothers may not meet their kids’ daily needs if a spouse bails on them and doesn’t see the need to support the child. Whatever you do, you should understand that child support payments are supposed to be used by your child when they’re of legal age.
Feeling all alone
This is a common struggle with many women, especially if you don’t have a supportive family or good friends who can help with your efforts. Your life is mostly isolated from the outside world. The cycle is the same every day; you wake up, prepare your kids, go to work, pick your children in the evening, cook dinner, sleep, and the cycle repeats itself all over again. In between all this, you’re supposed to find the time and balance everything while nurturing other relationships outside your life. If you feel lonely, it would be best to find a local support group where you can exchange experiences with other single parents and make new friends.
What will other people think of me?
We still have a stigma in the society that surrounds single mothers. Many are the times you will encounter people who will judge you for your choices and lifestyle. The truth is, don’t pay a lot of attention to the naysayers since you will end up falling under a lot of stress, which is going to impact your mental health. Lean on the people who understand you better and block negative energy.
Emotional challenges
As a single mother, there is no one to share your life with, how your day was, experiences – whether bad or good. As a result of keeping too much hold within yourself, depression and stress may kick in. In such hard times, you have to be resilient for the sake of yourself and your kids. Ensure you focus on the positive side of being a solo parent and learn to create a loving and healthy environment for your kids. Remind yourself that you are doing great and that no one is perfect.
Despite all these issues, single mothers still receive a lot of criticism in our society. Solo parenting, as a single mother, requires a lot of courage, resilience, and patience. You will lose your energy a few times, but ensure that you’re taking care of yourself both emotionally, mentally, and physically for the sake of your kids.