I’m Brave, I’m A Single Mom

The image of a single mother is increasingly common, as currently a woman who has chosen to be a mother does not need a stable partner to fulfill this desire. But many times being a single parent was not a choice. A single mother is brave because she faces social conditions with her child alone. Whether she made that choice or not.

If indeed every mother is a hero in the eyes of her own child. In the case of a single mother, the feeling of pride is even greater. Women who are single mothers without the support of a partner are twice as valuable. We know that fathers are often not very helpful, but even so a little help is better than none.

Every single mother is brave

Nowadays it is common to see mothers overcoming difficulties alone with their children and, even if we don’t ask why,  we know that they are going through a moment that demands their best abilities. Mothers who choose to raise their children alone are just as brave as those who are in this situation because of fate.

Another obstacle is the fact that for a long time women were exclusively housewives and, therefore, did not have training that would enable them to get a job. This fact made it difficult for them to be able to economically support their children. This case applied as much to women who were left widows as to those who were abandoned by their partners.

So, for a long time, staying single wasn’t a choice. However, things have changed. With each passing day, the number of women who choose to have their children without a male companion grows, as today there is greater financial and mental independence.

In this sense, a woman is brave when she makes such an important decision and assumes motherhood without the support of her partner. A single mother is also brave when life decides for her. A woman who becomes single has the option of remarrying, but that is not always the right decision. These are two important aspects to consider when we want to be a mother:

What are the challenges of a single mother?

A mother without male support has needs that no one will meet. It’s not about going to a doctor’s appointment alone, or getting help to get up. The point is that all the responsibilities will fall to the same person.

The effort that the mother makes in daily life is usually possible due to the division of responsibilities with the father. In other words, if she can stay at home every day taking care of the children’s chores, it is because there is economic support out there.

However, not everything revolves around money. Children also need their parents to be able to offer:

• Personal support. Having someone around that children can turn to in good times and bad.
• Affection. Children should feel cared for and grow up surrounded by family love.
• Authority. Discipline is earned by following directions firmly. Authority is a guarantee of discipline.
• Safety. To be sure, you have to believe that everything will be fine and that there is someone capable of solving the setbacks.

Any single mother can effectively guarantee all these aspects. All women in this situation have the courage to take on new challenges. Of course, it would be much better to split up these tasks. And, on certain occasions, it is necessary to face moral dilemmas that make life even more difficult for the single mother.

The Moral Problem of Being a Single Mother

If a woman submits to other people’s gossip she may never get very far. That’s why we often see women dissatisfied with their life together. Out there they say it’s better to be alone than in bad company. In other words, when necessity forces someone to be alone, there is no reason to think twice.

Making sacrifices is a habit for mothers. This makes them face unwanted situations just to satisfy their children or someone else and, almost all the time, for the sake of their well-being.

Thus, they end up staying with their peers to avoid bigger problems that limit their personal development or that of their children. However, generally, this situation represents a heavy and difficult load to bear, which ends up translating into unhappy families.

Having a partner to raise children is not synonymous with happiness. Just as single mothers deal with conflict, so do married mothers. But both challenges require the performance of brave women.