As the coronavirus crisis strips back family support systems it’s become clear who’s been holding the fort: women. Women have absorbed the bulk of the economic and emotional impacts, the additional childcare and the home management responsibilities. In some circles these additional burdens have led to coupled mothers claiming they ‘feel like a single mum’. Whilst many have indeed experienced some of…
Single Parenting
Longterm Lockdown
I started this year with a spring in my step. There’s photos of me and the kids seeing in the new year on a night train in Egypt, travelling again just how I’ve always loved. Things were going well. I could feel the gentle waft of hope once more. And things did go well until…
Exiting the Ashes of Lockdown
My counter tells me its been 4220 hours (or is it days???) since my little family of three went into lockdown. As restrictions have eased, things have become easier for many, but looking at social media tells you the difference in experiences of many this summer. Of course we aren’t still living in full lockdown,…
How to support the campaign for legal rights for single parents
I’ve been writing and campaigning about single parent issues for years. The stories of discrimination and stigma within our community are plentiful, as are the stories of bravery, strength and fun. Single parenting isn’t a curse or a synonym for hardship. However, it is all encompassing. It’s a life built on independence and with it come…
Why Single Parents Need to be A Protected Group in Law
Did you know that in Britain in 2020 it’s illegal for employers to discriminate against married people, but if you’re single you’re fair game? This *may* have made sense when married people were potentially considered to be less flexible given responsibilities at home and therefore faced unfair treatment in the workplace. But what of now…
2019: My Writing in Review
It’s been a year of much writing, but not so much on my blog. Gone are the days of churning out one post a week. Partly because time is scarce, partly because there’s less emotional turmoil to digest and spit out in black and white. It’s a cliche to talk about my journey as a single…
Single Mum Life Hacks
I don’t write many useful things. I’m more about letting out my emotions for all to read and getting a free dose of therapy whilst I’m at it. But there are some useful things I’ve learned as a single mum of two so I thought I’d share the love. 1. Try not to give a…
The Holiday
How’s the holiday? Was it good? I’m asked. Having fun? It’s an innocent question, from interested friends. As simple to answer as it is to ask, surely? But I have no idea where to start. Good? Bad? A mix of both? It wasn’t in the realms of either. Holidays are for relaxing. After all, sinking…
Dating With Young Kids: The Reality
It’s an irony that’s hard to get around… If you’re a single mum, chances are you went through a lot to gain your single status; divorce and separation aren’t the only ways to single motherhood, but they are the most common. Once you’ve got out of some shit awful relationship and learned to deal with…
18 Tips To Deal With An Absent Dad
Absent dads are a hugely sensitive topic. Absent usually means the non-existence, however, absent dads can be more complicated than that. We often don’t know if dad is gone for good, or if/ when he may return. Infrequent or sporadic contact can be equally, if not more, challenging to deal with. Seventeen percent of fathers…