Being a parent is a complex job, and we all seem to understand that. Now, imagine when this job is placed on the shoulders of one person, instead of two. Needless to say, it can be a very difficult experience.
Now, that is NOT to say that being a single mom is not rewarding. It most certainly is a rewarding experience. However, just because it is rewarding, does not take away from the struggles that come along with it. There are so many pressures placed on a single mom that large families simply cannot relate to. Yes, there are struggles in two-parent households, but for this article, we are going to be looking at the struggles of single moms, because they deserve some acknowledgment.
1. Financial struggles.
In many families, there are two incomes at least, and two incomes are much better than one when there are kids involved. When you go a step further, not all single moms receive assistance from the other parent, which can make the situation even harder. Raising a kid is not cheap, and is a difficult task even when there is more than one income. With just one income, even if it’s a good income, it can be especially hard to make ends meet.
2. Co-parenting.
The vast majority of single moms will deal with co-parenting issues. Whether this is regarding living arrangements or finances, the struggle remains the same. In some cases, the other parent may be spiteful, which only makes co-parenting that much harder.
3. Depression.
Many single moms struggle to find fulfillment in their daily lives. This is often caused by the busy hustle of being a parent, which leaves little time to do much else. These struggles can also be caused by financial hardship, which as most of us know, can make it hard to find peace at the moment. Additionally, we are hard-wired to seek out someone to spend our life with, but dating is not easy when you have kids.
4. Social isolation.
Between work, cooking meals, taking the kids to school, squeezing in time to do homework, and then getting the kids ready for bed-the life of a single mom is a busy one. After all the responsibilities are attended to, there is little time to just socialize and have fun. This often leads many single moms to feel isolated.
5. Guilt.
Society places a big pressure on moms in general, and more specifically, single moms. We are often pressured to feel as though we should meet the societal expectation of having two parents under one roof. When we don’t meet that expectation, we are told we aren’t trying hard enough or that we aren’t doing enough. This can lead to immense guilt.
6. Decision pressure.
In a two-parent household, two people make choices together. When you are a single mom, the entire burden of making decisions is placed on one shoulder. This can be a very difficult struggle.