new here to MN

[LKsMummy]

Thought i'd make my first post here on the LP board since i've been a single mum since my little girl was born. She's 20 months and we live in central scotland.

Things have been up and down for me the last year. I've battled with pnd and struggled with bringing my daughter up on my own since the day I brought her home from hospital.

Some days are better than others but really, deep down I'm so lonely. All my other friends with kids are all happily married and I just feel sometimes like I/we don't fit in with them. I just really would like to get to know some other single parents who can apperciate how difficult things can really be for us (especially when you're ex does nothing for the DC involved).

waves HELLO.

I know just what you mean my DD is 4 and Ex left us when she was 10 days old, Yes it can be lonely but, I've found its got better as DD has got bigger,

welcome to MN btw!

Hey there. Where in central scotland are you?
Im a single mum to a 5 year old dd and twins on the way.

Hello sorry to hear things have been tough for you since having your little girl was born. I am a single mum and have been since pregnancy, my dds father has zero involvement(his choice and loss) and it is difficult coping on your own, the responsibility and daily demands of a child can often feel over whelming.

Loneliness is horrible, I have just read a really good book called the single parents handbook by Rachel Morris (quite cheap on amazon!) and that gives some good advice.

I work 3 days a week and believe that keeps me sane and grounded when parenting feels too much! Also am about to embark on my first single parent holiday which I booked through the website 'single with kids' am hoping it will be an opportunity to make some new friends as well as a much needed holiday for me and my daughter (she is 4).

I struggle with feeling different to my married/couply friends but if they are true friends they will be supporting you. Also gingerbread are a single parent organisation and there may be a group somewhere near to you. Im afraid I live at compleatly the opposite end of the U.K!!!

GOOD LUCK WITH IT ALL xXx

Hi LKsMummy I'm a single parent too, have one DD aged 3 (nearly 4) and her father has never had anything to do with her.

I haven't had PND but I suffered very badly with depression before I got pregnant with DD and it comes back every now and again.

I've only got one friend who lives near me, my best friend, who I love dearly but she doesn't have any children and although she's godmother to DD, and great with her, I never feel like she really "gets" how hard it can be sometimes.

Like now for example, DD has been a nightmare since the second I picked her up from nursery earlier and she just will not settle down to sleep - it's driving me crazy!

It just seems like my friend has it so easy in comparison - she goes to work (part time), she drives so has the freedom that that brings, she can go out whenever she likes, she lives at home with her parents, has her meals cooked for her, rarely has to do any housework, doesn't have the responsibility of a child or a house, or bills/rent to pay etc.

And when she's at home, she has her family around her, or she's with her boyfriend or his family, whereas I'm pretty much on my own with DD all the time.

Things get better though, I know I'm amazingly lucky to have wonderful DD, a nice house, I'm studying for a degree part time, and I'e just got a part time job that I'm really looking forward to. So I actually love my life at the moment, but it sometimes gets to me that other people can swan around doing whatever they want, especially when they moan about really insignificant stuff and how "hard done by" they are, when I very much doubt they'd be able to cope for 5 minutes in a single parents shoes!

Oh, sorry for the rant!