I’d definitely be interested in your thoughts. It’s still a mixed bag, don’t get me wrong. Society does not encourage or easily tolerate single parents. There’s a lot of hate, derision, and scorn thrown at single mothers in particular.
In the best scenarios, single fathers get sympathy. Single mothers get pity. Regardless, its a situation you’re supposed to resolve ASAP. There is a lot of pressure to do so. Choose to stay single? People just don’t understand.
One thing is for sure, you better have your shit together. Most especially financially and emotionally. That doesn’t mean you have to be wealthy, but you better know how to stretch a dollar and budget really well. Embrace living below your means and be able to thrive doing so. You better be an expert at stocking. I’m dead serious on that one. Start when you decide to have a child. Not when you’re pregnant. Yeah. That was a life saver, for sure.
Overall, I think it’s definitely getting better for single parents in regards to the societal judgement. People are starting to realize that if you have kids, it’s likely that at some point, you’re going to be parenting alone. At least for a while. That takes the stigma of it out; people are less likely to hurl abuse at you if they realize they’re going to be on the receiving end of the same shit sooner or later.
The prospect of single parenting may also be one reason why many people are choosing to not have kids. They’ve seen, growing up, what’s gone down toward single parents. They’ve seen the misery of their peers, growing up with a revolving door of step-parents. The parents who stay together "for the sake of the kids" but never fix their marriage are even worse. Or, that’s been them; that’s been their family. My neighbor committed suicide when we were teenagers over problems at home between parents.
They just don’t want to do that to their own potential offspring. Again, you know statistically, at some point you’re going to be going it alone.
My attitudes have changed drastically over the years too. Definitely, the trick is to prepare for it. It’s not bad, when you expect at least the possibility or its a flst out choice. You’re not left floundering around in a surprise situation you didn’t want unprepared.
This comment may get a lot of hate, just so you’re forewarned. I’ve already had a bunch of men tell me how sorry they feel for my daughter that I’ve deprived her of a father when I speak about how happy I am being a single mother.
