—teashirt —Rebecca, 30, GA Anytime I’m away, it’s always on my mind so I don’t completely get a real break, and I always feel unbelievably guilty for wanting to spend any amount of time away from them. I’m very envious of my friends who are also single parents but have an active and involved co-parent. All parenting is a 24/7 job, but at least some people get a coworker for the job. I’m on my own 100% of the time." —Melissa, 38, Oregon —monkeybuttmom The bad days are when kids are on one and you have no one to take over. Trying to date is a minefield too! It’s a lot for someone to take on a package deal. The list goes on, but you do get all the love. My daughter was the only child in her class to make me a Father’s Day card because, in her words, ‘I am both.’ 🥰" —hannah0806 I have great kids, a great family, and great friends — but none of them is the same as having a partner (granted, my ex wasn’t, either. But like all abusive relationships, his behavior had cycles, and there were times when it felt like a partnership, even though it definitely wasn’t)." —Allie, 34 —Kate, 40, Illinois We were very poor when she was young. I couldn’t afford pads or tampons, so I would cut up diapers into pieces and got by that way. It’s definitely been really tough at times, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I would do it all over again for her — she’s so worth every bit of it." —Kater, 40, Pennsylvania
