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Single mum of two, Lauren Patterson, admits the daily struggle often gets too much.

“When someone says to me, “I don’t know how you do it”, sometimes, neither do I”, admits Lauren in a recent Instagram post.

“Whenever someone asks me what it’s like to be a solo parent, I explain that it never gets easier, you just get stronger.

“Just note, I HAVE F#$KING AMAZING KIDS!

“This is not a reflection of them, because they are my absolute world and I love them more and more every day.


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I’d like to… I’d like to say something, I’ve prepared. Hello. How about that ride in? I guess that’s why they call it sin city. Haha. You guys might not know this, but i consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one man wolf pack. But when I bought Madi home from the hospital i knew she was one of my own and my wolf pack, it grew, it grew by one. So there we were, there were two of us in the wolf pack. I was alone in the wolf pack, and then Madi joined in later. Then 3 years down the track Max popped his cute little cheeky self into the world and I thought “wait a second, could it be?” And now I know for sure, I just added one more to my wolf pack. Three of us wolves, running around the desert together, In Brisbane, looking for fish tacos, babycinos and coffee. So TGIF, I make a toast.

A post shared by Lauren Patterson (@___laurenkate) on

“You get used to doing all the chores yourself, making lunches, getting them bathed and dressed, trying to shower yourself and make yourself somewhat presentable, keeping them entertained until school drop off, keep on top of my emails and study and making sure I remember to pay the bills on time, but then there some days I just wanna sit down and cry because I wish some magical fairy would swoop into my house and take some of the load for me.

“Today, I’m looking for that magical fairy. It’s days like these that I have to stop, take a breath and get on with it, because I don’t like complaining and that’s all I can do. I still have my breakdowns, I promise you that. ”

Her post attracted nearly 5000 likes.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

When someone says to me, “I don’t know how you do it”, sometimes, neither do I. Whenever someone asks me what it’s like to be a solo parent, I explain that it never gets easier, you just get stronger. Just note, I HAVE FUCKING AMAZING KIDS! This is not a reflection of them, because they are my absolute world and I love them more and more every day. You get used to doing all the chores yourself, making lunches, getting them bathed and dressed, trying to shower yourself and make yourself somewhat presentable, keeping them entertained until school drop off, keep on top of my emails and study and making sure I remember to pay the bills on time but then there some days I just wanna sit down and cry because I wish some magical fairy would swoop into my house and take some of the load for me. Today, I’m looking for that magical fairy. It’s days like these that I have to stop, take a breath and get on with it, because I don’t like complaining and that’s all I can do. I still have my breakdowns, I promise you that.

 

A post shared by Lauren Patterson (@___laurenkate) on

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  • Life throws things at us that in the long run prove to us how strong we are. We look back at things and think “Wow…how on earth did I manage to get through that?” ….but we did. We are amazing.

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  • I have a lot of admiration for single parents and can understand how they say”I don’t know how you do it”. It must be so hard. I can also understand that it’s better to be a single parent, then to be in a negative relationship that breaks you down.

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  • It is very hard but I found it much easier in the long run than having to deal with a partner that constantly undermined me and treated us like dirt because he preferred to party with his equally bad at parenting brother

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  • Yep, I hear you, it sure is a struggle sometimes but you just got to get on with it.

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  • Being a single Mum / Dad means you don’t get a sleep in and no or very little spare time if you keep everything done as it should be. It’s not as bad if you have the support of other people, especially if they will watch your child or even take them home from under your feet for a few hours. The kids having an occasional sleepover would be even better so you get some uniterrupted “me” time

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  • Being a parent is the hardest thing in the world. We beat ourselves up over “doing a bad job” at it. It’s hard enough with a partner but being single would be so much harder.

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  • Raising children is rewarding but hard work regardless of parent dynamics.


    • I admire all parents that give parenting their very best effort and always strive forward.

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  • Well wishes to all the single mums (and partnered ones) doing it tough.

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  • Growing up with my mother and she was a single mum it was hard on me and her..

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  • I don’t know how people stay happy when they are a single parent. I would be struggling without the emotional and financial support of my husband. He also does the cleaning so my house would be a mess.

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  • being a parent is mostly confidence and winging it

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  • Being a parent is hard work and tiring especially when on your own.

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  • I think in parenting generally, you just do what you have to as a parent. Oftentimes, you don’t even think about it, you just do it. Only afterwards do you wonder how you did it.

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  • Raising children is hard work even with a husbands/partners help so I can imagine being a single parent would be exhausting and demanding …all you single moms are amazing.

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  • Being a parent is the hardest job on earth. We all have times when we feel like complete failures and frauds (me on most days) But then I look at my kids, they are happy and thriving and I think, I’m doing something right.

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  • We all have days like that. She sounds strong. You just have to keep going when you have kids.

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  • I so often say this to people, I will definitely try and refrain from saying it then if I might get a reaction like this!

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  • I had an abusive husband whom I left after he tried to kill me a second time & left me with a brain injury. Becoming a single parent was the toughest job I have ever had to do. I had been a national network manager in previous jobs but I did not feel equipped nor qualified for the new role of parenting alone, especially while trying to recover from the injury. My kids were still little & it was traumatising for them but in the end we became very close & developed a bond far stronger because of everything we went thru. If I had to do it over again I would not hesitate because it meant my children did not have to experience the fighting & abuse in the home. It was lonely & it was so hard to meet like minded people because single parents are still looked down on in society. I had to make decisions on my own & some of them were major such as where to live, a new home & how to budget for everything on the disability pension. It takes a lot of courage to do it alone but it gives so many rewards which makes up for the tough times.

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  • Sometimes being a single parent is easier than having a partner who doesn’t help, doesn’t pull his weight and resents the children because you give time to them. Then you get even more stressed out – but I wish you luck and it will become easier with time, I promise.

    Reply

  • I agree with other comments that sometime parenting even with a partner is tough but can only imagine it is harder for single parents. Parenting is the toughest job in the world – but also the most rewarding.

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