Single Parenting: Advice and Help from Other Mothers for Single Moms

As a single mom, there are times that I need help or advice from another mom. My own mother died when I was eleven, so I can't go to her. My life has been blessed though by a friend that has always been there throughout the years when I need help, advice or just someone to talk to. She was there to help me when I became a single mother over eleven years ago. I don't think I would have made it through the first few years as a single mom without her guidance and friendship.

I really didn't know that much about motherhood and didn't have anyone else to help me. When my patience was gone with dealing with a screaming baby, she would take over for me for a little while. When there were discipline issues that I didn't know how to deal with, she would give me advice. When one of my children were out of line, she was right there telling them to obey and respect me. She wasn't overstepping parental boundaries or taking over, she just knew I needed help with my kids and was willing to do whatever she could to help me.

As the years have gone by and I've grown as a mother, I haven't needed help as much as I used to, but there are still times that I don't know what to do and I need advice or help. Like when my older daughter hit those lovely pre-teen years. I'm not sure my daughter or I would have survived without some help here and there during that stage of adolescence. Then came the wonderful teen years that we are currently in. It really seems like children become a whole different creature when they become teenagers and I'm glad that I have someone to talk to when I'm about to go crazy dealing with the teenage drama.

Don't get me wrong, I love my teenager, but I didn't have a mom when I was a teenager. I was actually married and pregnant at 16. Sometimes I really don't understand the life or workings of a normal teenager or how to have a mother daughter relationship with a teenager because I never had a mother daughter relationship when I was a teenager. There's been plenty of times through these pre-teen and teen years that my friend kept us from "killing" each other.

After all these years, she's still just a phone call away and I appreciate that. I think parenting is hard and single parenting is even harder, but the help of at least one good friend can make all the difference in the world.