I am so proud?

Question

Single mum of four kids and my eldest has just got a job as an air hostess, that is hard to achieve, second daughter is at college in her second year doing hair dressing and third son aims to be a chef in the army. next year. Hopefully my nine year old baby will go to uni like me, but hey who says single parents raise thugs!!!!!! tell me your stories please

Answer 1

My mum's a single parent. I'm a forensic scientist and both my younger sisters are at uni, I think she did ok :-).
Well done on breaking the stereotype :-) you deseve to be proud of yourself (I've seen how hard it can be and I only appreciate my mum now I dont live with her anymore!)

Answer 2

I was raised by a single mother, my dad lived on the other side of the country. Me and my brother have turned out just fine, both been to uni and have good professional jobs. I don't really think of that as exceptional though, when I look back I don't think that I was ever disadvantaged, it seemed perfectly normal to me to have divorced parents and I know plenty of people who have turned out completely fine as well.

All these stats about single parents are pretty unfair. There are many types of single parent. There are plenty who started out as normal, reasonably well-off families and then the parents seperated (or one was widowed). But those kids can still be raised in a stable and happy home.

I think the statistics are skewed by young and irresponsible parents, who would have f**ked their kids up either way. Poverty is known to breed criminals, and people who have kids before they are old enough to have got themselves into a career path usually do end up in poverty- and this all counts against the "single parents" group, because they do usually split up- they were too young fora lifelong committment, and for a child, and THAT is the problem, not the fact they're on their own.

Single parenting doesn't always equal poverty, they are not all on benefits. If they weren't before, they won't be when they become a single mother. Divorced fathers pay a lot of maintenance, and usually give the woman the family home. I've never known it to change anyone's financial situation so drastically as to put them on benefits or in poverty, if they weren't already.

I'm glad to read all these "success stories" but they don't surprise me, and they shouldn't surprise anyone- single mother should never be considered synonymous with "raising thugs".

Answer 3

No story I'm afraid, but well done!!.

My eldest is 15 and hopefully he will do OK in life but parenting is a hard job even with a partner/husband. So you've done well.

I believe it's not having two parents that counts it's the love,support and disapline that is provided in a home and the respect your kids have for you and others

Answer 4

My mam was a single parent with me. She says at first it was hard up till I was 18. But once I reached an age where I could do things she said I improved. I am soooo proud of my mam and try every day to make her proud of me. I have just come out of training for the police and have a lovely boyfriend. I have never been in trouble. I think single parents can work really well. My mam was like a dad and a mam to me. Your children will be soooo proud of you and they will be thankful for everything you have done for them. I know I am for my mam.

Good luck and I hope they all reach where they want to.

Answer 5

I come from a family of 5, Child 1 went high up in the army Child 2 High up in the army (don't remember rank )
My self child 3 P/T worker ,Child 4 call centre manager,Child 5 owns own antique repair service.
I married a manager of a company,His brother self employed electrician his wife an Occupational therapist.
My two son's are too you but are doing really well at school but they say things like builder,architect,space man,dig holes
As long as they respect everyone in their life i don't care what they do it's their lives not mine.
Well done in raising a really well grounded family on your own.

Answer 6

Full credit to you and your family, you should be proud!
I hope my 5 month old daughter grows up with as much of a sense of ambition as your family seems to have.
It just goes to show that the stereotypes of single mums can be wrong.
I believe that the parent as a person has more of a bearing on how the child grows up.
I myself come from a 'broken' home with divorced parents and I turned out all right!
Good luck to you all

Answer 7

My mum brought me and my brother up on her own, I'm now at uni (gone back to do my maths degree) working very happily in a secondary school and aiming towards my teaching degree.....better late than never.
my brother is a very successful IT technician just got a promotion and is working his way up through the company.
I'm now on my own with 2 children.....
my daughter is now at college training to be an electrical installer, after gaining better GCSE grades than she was predicted.
my son is still at primary school, is very sporty representing the town swim team tomorrow night!!!

I agree emphatically with you not every single parent raises thugs, I'm proud of the way my mum brought me up, and when my 17 year girl comes for a hug just because she can I know I've not done a bad job myself!!!

Answer 8

CONGRATS!!!
to you and your kids!
and to neueosuperstate... grow up! you cant assume this lady has always claimed benefits you bigot! and benefits are taxed too, plus NI contributions are taken out, so get all the facts 1st. good grief! hate those attitudes. yuk. plus, think about all the parents who earn huge salaries and their kids have no needs or wants, then abuse their priviledges and turn out to be scroungers or worse. dont be so generalisitic. humph.

ahem

anyway,,,
whether on wages or benefits, single parents have it hard, i know, i was one when i had to leave an abusive relationship with my 2 girls, was on my own for 5 years, no sign of financial help from the father but super support from my mum, helped look after kiddies when i went to uni/work etc. i was on bebefits for a while when they were both young, but did voluntary p/t work during that period. so theres many ways of paying back what you get out of the 'system'.
well done again, you deserve to celebrate!

Answer 9

Son in navy, getting married in 2 wks. 3 &1/2 children
daughter a hairdresser, married 1 child
Son in college training to be bricklayer
youngest still in school, she wants to be an artist

Split with their dad after 13 years. had no maintainence from him, just a load of grief. 5 years later i met new man who is now my husband.

i'm proud of my kids too

Answer 10

my mum was a single mum, my sister is a mechanical engineer (designs new cars etc), my brother's a banker, and...theres me, the youngest pregnant at 20, looking forward to a life of single parenthood BUT, i'm a self employed pc tech! brother earns the least of us three at £25k a year. so i agree, not all single mums raise thugs. i'm the worst in that respect, slapped a police officer when i was drunk n got a causion...whoops...but thats the worst!