Any successful single mum stories?

[Ilovepeppa]

Is it really that scary being a single parent?

Just started divorce proceedings and have 2DS. I am so worried about going it alone. I don't work and trying to get a job is near on impossible, hardly anything going and for every one job about 80 apply!!

Spoke to a friend yesterday who is a single mum, just been made redundant and worried she is going to lose her home.

Please tell me it's not that bad and me and the DS are not going to be living on bread and water.

I'm a single mum, have been all along. DS is towards the end of primary now and doing fine (well, possibly too much tablet time...) I'm lucky in that I have a stable job with very supportive management - things like taking him abroad with me to meetings (where childcare is available at the other end - obviously I pay his airfare). We do fun stuff together, and I have a good friend whose husband works away a lot, so we support each other a lot and even go camping together. Support networks are vital - that gets easier once kids are older and you can do sleep-over swaps.

One of my colleagues split from her husband when her kids were a similar age to yours - they are grown up now and doing fine, one has just finished her medicine degree and bought her first house.

You can do this! It won't always be easy, there will be the odd rough patch, but it'll be more than outweighed by the good bits.

Thanks so much for all the positive replies.

Some good success stories, great to hear you're all doing so well and enjoying life as a LP.

My concern is I don't have family around, they are 150 miles away so knowing I won't have their support on my doorstep is hard. Also means I can't use them for childcare.

I need to find something I'm interested in to study at College, so I can make a career for myself to try and give us a better future.

On my own with ds since birth, no contact with his father. I have a great job, home, family and friends. Ds has been brilliant through it although it's daunting raising a teenage boy alone but we'll get there.
You will be absolutely fine too.

My MIL left with 2 young dc, FIL moved abroad, no financial help. Dh turned out well and had a happy childhood.

My best friend, one dc always been on her now, now good career and engaged to another woman.

At least half mums at my dc school are single parents and they're all making it work.

I'm a single parent success story, I am bloody awesome. Kicked the utter c**t out for all sorts of abuse four years ago, dc aged 10 and 7.

We are so so happy, so peaceful, so full of fun, no walking on eggshells.

Not much money but I'm in a decent position with my house as it has a relatively small mortgage. I work full time, totally knackered always, no family about. Utter c**t doesn't see the dc but that's all good really as he's a thorough going bastard.

As for no family around, you adapt. You have to.

I have some wonderful friends who do pick up after school for four days a week. I pay them a little bit and/or do favours in return when I can. Long holidays put the fear of God into me, but I've got through it so far. Chin up, you've got an adventure ahead, a very happy one I hope.

Lone parent here too. Dd is 8 and not had contact with her dad since she was 2.

I love my life. I work hard and love my holidays with my dd. She's so well adjusted.

What I really enjoy is not having to negotiate or compromise with anyone. I see someone, he's lovely but I don't want to live together. I'm happy the way things are.

Lots of inspiring stories here! my ds's father left when he was five weeks. I went back to work at 16 weeks, raised him alone, no financial support. He was essentially fine although I did worry when he was around 3 that he wasn't confident (thought maybe due to lack of father figure) and did take some time off between jobs to address that as best I could on my own. He is fine - 15 now, got scholarship to a top public school, is nice kid. I met now dh when ds was 7, married three years later and we have a fairly standard life now although the early years were tough I would say to any woman that you can handle it.

I brought up my dd on my own for the 1st 10 years before I met my dp.
I was on benefits for the 1st 5 years.
We're incredibly close. She's 16 now and just sat her GCSE's and is predicted to get top grades.
There's nothing we can't talk about from boy, sex, drugs. Out of all her friends we have the closest mother and daughter relationship.
I've since had another dd with my current dp. Although I love them both the same. The bond I have with dd1 is really something special. For 10 years it was just us, her and I against the world.
Even though at times it was tough. It was only my rules, my routines everything was just my decision. So there was never no conflict in parenting so everything just ran alot smoother. She never once had to listen to her parents bicker or argue or live with any kind of atmosphere. I've said on here before I really do believe it was easier on my own.
So there's my positive single parent story. I'm sure you will one of your own to tell one day

Forgot to mention I had no family around either. I was very lucky I lived on a little avenue with 3 other amazing single mum's. They was my child care and I was there's. They all had dd's a few years older than mine.
I went to college too. I did hairdressing. Then holistic therapies. From there I went on to do a sports science degree. I never completed it though. Uni was very tough.
A lot different to college. I just didn't feel I had the support. This was like 13 years ago though. After dd started school I trained as a butcher and that was my career for a long time.
She's had some contact with her df over the years but very little. We've never had any financial or emotional support from him.
For me my friend was crucial. I'll never forget the support I had of each and every one of them. I tell them when I'm drunk, to which they reply " I didn't do anything " I think they don't believe that they did. But to me it meant the world

Thanks for the replies, kind words and flowers.

Loving the success stories, so inspiring. Thanks so much im starting to feel much more positive xx