Let's be honest. The life of a single mum can be peppered with self-doubt. Constantly worrying if you’re a good mum or not. Whether you’re doing everything right, it saps your strength. Sort of like Superman’s Kryptonite. Sort of like superheroes.
Just the other day, I was chatting to a close friend and single parent to her grown-up son. She admitted that, even now, she still has uncertainties. So, one day, whilst crying into her proverbial milk, she asked her son about the memories he had taken from childhood to adulthood. He said:
“Mom, you've always been the strongest person I know. You had some kind of super-power to keep it all together. You're a single mom and I don’t know how you managed it.”
She’d never thought of it that way. To her, parenting didn't seem like a sacrifice, but it was hard. But, to him, she was some kind of cape-wearing, leap-off-tall-buildings, watch-me-run-in-my-tights superhero.
So on days when you feel like the bills are piling up as fast as the dishes in the sink, when the need to cut the grass in the back yard is competing with fixing the broken kitchen tap, and your child has just woken you up ten minutes after you fell asleep, remember who you are … a superhero.
Single mothers are selfless.
One thing that makes us in awe of our favourite superheroes is that they are selfless. Or at least they do selfless things with no or little recognition, even if they 100% deserve it. Single parents are precisely that. Without another parent to take on the job, single mums will forego their personal desires for their family's needs. Be it a shower, a pedicure, or a much-needed massage, they'll pass to attend their child's school event.
I always feel heaps of pride at the memory of my mum, who, after spending hours in the emergency room because of neck pain, still showed up to my talent show. Seeing her sitting in the fifteenth row in her neck brace yet happily cheering me on remains a core childhood memory.
That's a mother's unconditional love, ladies and gentlemen.
Single mums are crazy fast at switching roles.
From medic to chef, household assistant to family bookkeeper, handyman to gardener, librarian, homework helper, and chief breadwinner – children of single mums simultaneously have it all in one person. Sometimes, all in one day! Motherhood is like that, and single mums are dedicated to creating a home where their children can grow and thrive. So, they’ll tackle whatever role the job requires to keep the family afloat. And sometimes with a spin of a cape, depending on their mood, of course.
Single mothers are super strong and courageous.
No one knows the struggles life will throw our way. But for single mums who have no partner to lean on, it takes an extra measure of strength and courage to face the day. (And sometimes the long nights spent nursing a child sick with a 103-degree fever.) When there's no other parenting figure to make split-second decisions about the child's well-being, she has to juggle the work of two ... and so she does.
Somehow, single mums dig deep daily and find the resolution to deal with a cut lip from falling off the swing, the water bill coming due sooner than the pay cheque arrives, and what to make for dinner. (Don’t forget the lunch bag, either!) Then, there's the next school party, and, speaking of parties, the birthday party looming around the corner. The list never ends, but single mums meet it head-on in order to give their children everything they need.
Single mums have the power of stretch.
Whether it’s dollars, time, resources, or sleep, single mums must do more with less. Scary Halloween costumes created from what’s lying around the house or hidden in the closet. Nutritious dinners made with joy and love and persistent coupon-clipping. Groceries shopping tricks that save those dollars. A few extra minutes of reading bedtime stories at night found because a single mum was willing to get creative with time management.
Whatever restrictions a single mum is up against, she will find a way to make it work. They say you can't pour from an empty cup, but her cup doesn't seem to empty. When it comes to her kids, you literally can't exhaust her. There's always one more thing she can give.
Single mothers create families with superhero kids.
The stigma or social expectation is that children growing up isolated from their dad will find their way to trouble in some form, be it pregnancy, poverty or crime. But when you have to fight against the odds to succeed, that survival creates strong ties.
Homes run by single mums find everyone relying on each other in order to keep life humming along. Just like any team, these families end up strongly tied to each other, as well as fiercely independent. Slate Magazine agrees. It recently ran an article stating that, in our over-indulgent society, being raised in single motherhood has distinct advantages. After all, when you only have each other as your emotional support system, you're bound to have that kind of bond.
Single mums need help, too.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. But being moms and dads all at the same time, it can feel like you're carrying the responsibility of the whole village on your shoulders. Handling the finances, deciding to take your daughter to the hospital, going to school and sporting events, doing childcare, and minding the house chores all by yourself, the reality of single parenthood can terrify others. And it is terrifying, yet we still do it. Of course, we're mums.
But, hey, don't be scared to seek help. Maybe you don't recognise them, but there are people willing to take on a bit of your burdens. Remember, just like in the comic books and movies, even heroes need a sidekick.
Most of all, single mothers inspire us.
And that’s the true hallmark of any superhero.
Single mums take difficult situations they didn't choose and turn them into good. They take on their weaknesses and turn them into strengths. They act selflessly in order to defend and protect those around them. Their resilience makes them stand up even if their legs hurt and they couldn't walk. And they do so with a KA-POW! BAM! force that defies all the odds and always, yes, always, saves the day.
In Conclusion, Single Mums Are True Superheroes
They handle the endless demands, face fears head-on, and take deep breaths when life gets overwhelming. They do it all with the dedication that defies the usual equation of time and energy, always putting their child’s needs first. So, on those days when it feels like you’ll never catch a break, remember: you’re not just managing—you’re inspiring. Your strength, love, and resilience will be the legacy your child carries with them long after the car seat is outgrown and the living room has quieted. You are, and always will be, their superhero.
