No doubt about it. Single parenting is hard. Even with a partner, raising a child is tough, what more when you have to do it alone?
But this is a situation that single parents have to face whether they like it or not. They are responsible for a child and even though this is a situation that they do not really want or have expected, they have no choice but to face it.
Early Responsibility
One of the hardest parts perhaps in being a single parent is to make sure that your child is well provided for. If you do not have the support of your parents, this can be hard, even impossible. You need to rent a house and pay for food, milk and diapers. Some, especially those who have to work, also need to pay for babysitting services. There are also the child equipment like a crib, a play mat and a stroller, not to mention the toys and books that they need to enrich their brain and enhance their learning.
And when the child grows up, you will also need to pay for their education from preschool to college. That is of course still decades from now but it is also something that you have to consider and plan for. Remember also that kids do not have medical insurance. You need to pay for their medical bills should they get sick. Being the single breadwinner in the family, some single parents take on two to three sometimes even four jobs just to be able to make both ends meet and have some savings for the future.
Others however are still in denial. They still cannot accept that they already have responsibilities. These are the ones who lead single lives despite having a kid. They still go to parties and have a good time even when they have a kid to take care of.
Loneliness
Another trial of being a single parent is the loneliness. This is especially true for those who have not received any support from their parents or from any relatives. Basically, single parents in this kind of situation only have their children as partner and this can be an awfully sad and lonely existence for anyone. Some single parents, who cannot take the loneliness, cope with it by establishing a super close relationship with their child, which can be too constricting for the growing child. These are the parents who are too strict and are overprotective. Others seek for comfort outside the home by going out on dates and searching for a partner. This however can also backfire because the relationship with the child can suffer.
Stigma
Although it is already something that we see every day, there are still communities that frown upon early pregnancy before marriage. Single parents often have to deal with the social stigma. This can be a problem because it is another stressor that you do not really need to have. Some young single parents move to cities or leave their towns to start a new life.