Single Parents: Heroes Without Praise or Glory

The greatest gift a person can every receive is the gift of a new child. Children are great. It is the greatest reward given for living your life. It is the hardest and most rewarding task of life.

Under the best of circumstances, parenting is not an easy task. When a person becomes responsible for the growth and well-being of another human life, the task can be very overwhelming. It can seem like an insurmountable task, and it fills parents with feelings of fear and inadequacy.

In two-parent homes, this can be a huge task. For single parents, the task of raising children is made even more difficult. They may have some help from family and friends, but still the primary responsibility for their children rests on their shoulders alone.

There are many other single parents who do not have any help. They have to go it completely alone. They have no family to help, and their friends are unable or unwilling to help them. For these parents, the task gets even that much harder.

Single parents have to work to support their children, and this takes time away from the children. They do not do this because they want to be away from their children. They do this to support their children. It takes money to live, and this money must come from somewhere. It is hard to manage their time, but somehow these parents make it work. A single parent has to learn to make each minute count. They know the concept of quality time and use it to the fullest advantage.

Instead, of coming home and resting for a bit, they must fix dinner, clean the house, spend time with the kids, and many other tasks before they can finally take time to relax. This usually happens when the children go to bed.

There is no one to share these tasks with or to lighten their load. The single parent must complete the household tasks alone which makes for very long and seemingly endless days.