“I had been working when I became pregnant and after my child was born I made the decision to return to work straight after, it wasn’t an easy decision. I think every mother would find it difficult to leave their child, but it was the best decision for me. I have managed to make things work for us but I think that women need more support in the work place, in particular single mothers.
When you are out of the work place it’s very difficult to return and in some circumstances social welfare forces people into poverty. I think we need to challenge people’s perception of what a single parent is. We are no different from other parents and we are just as good as others parents. Why wouldn’t we be? And society tends to forget that behind every un-married mother there is a father who has responsibilities.
There are highs and lows to single parenting but many of them would be no different than in a parenting together situation. Isolation is the biggest challenge but at least I have the security of knowing my child is being raised how I want her to be. Single parenting forces you to hold yourself accountable and to be the best parent that you can be.”