For my mum – the single parent

Although I am not one I was raised by a single parent.

Single parents come in many guises, men, women, straight, gay, they work, they don’t, they have one child, they have many.

Some single parents have an ex partner that helps shoulder the load of childcare whilst others are, well, absent.

My Father cluttered off when I was seven and I stopped seeing him altogether at around 9 or 10. This is for my mum and all the other single parents (yes, this is for the dads too) that rock the hell out of it!

Me and my mum

I see you, single parent, wiping tears, noses and bums

I’m not a single parent myself, but I was raised by one

I know you wake in the night, not alone, but with little body by your side

One more hug becomes nights upon nights of sharing your bed

Explaining with a broken heart that “Daddy does love you, darling, it was me he left”

You share Christmas, Birthdays, school holidays the good times – not so much the bad

You are the one they turn to when Daddy begins a new family

Then he’s gone, for good

You might go to work, you might not but you make ends meet, with difficulty

You shoulder all the responsibility of raising your child, alone

You attend parents meetings, school plays, you take photos and you well with pride

You do homework together, you go shopping together, and eventually the pub

You’re the one they turn to when they have their first love, their first kiss, when they are confused by relationships

They go to school and take their exams

They pass their driving test

They get a job

You’re there, helping, guiding, it’s still all you

They move out, they find a partner

They have children, you become a grandparent

You’re still a single parent, shouldering the responsibility of your child, who is now 40 and her children

But, you know what, you can look at your child and think “I did that”

So, thank you, Mum, for all you’ve done and do, I know it’s still all down to you.

You’ve got to be in it to…pin it