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…
Motherhood
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…
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…
What Pregnant Women Really Need To Know
Trigger warning – this post talks about baby loss. With so many advice posts, pregnancy columns and antenatal classes out there you’d assume that all the ‘need to know’ points for pregnant women are covered. The thing is though, they often stick to the fluffy bits, or the stuff that ‘sells’, with a light touch…
Raising Two Kids Solo: The Reality
My path to raising two children solo is slightly unique; we are what is termed a ‘mixed family’. After divorcing my first child’s father, I decided to go it alone and have a second via donor conception. So you could say – more than most – that I chose to parent two as a solo…
Recovering From A Breakdown
Trigger warning, talks about mental ill-health, baby loss, separation and the struggles of motherhood. Recently I saw an incredible piece of performance art by Bryony Kimmings; I’m a Phoenix, Bitch. It had me in tears almost from the first second I walked through the door (which admittedly was about fifteen minutes after the show had…
17 Things Parents of Big Babies Understand
Having a big baby is both a blessing and a curse. If you’ve had one, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. 1. You’re fed up with the comments and questions. Does it really matter how tall his dad is*? No, I’m not over feeding him. If you look a little closer you will tell…
Why Single Mums Are So Stressed
The working title for this started off as why single mums shout so much, but then I realised other single mums have it more together than me and don’t necessarily shout like someone possessed. Perhaps not all of us are more stressed than the average mum either, and apologies if you’re sitting there thinking, I’m…