Being a single parent can be isolating in so many ways.
For starters, we single parents are physically alone with our kid(s) a lot of the time, without a partner to carry some of the burden or even just have an adult conversation with. And on an emotional level, we’re constantly seeing two-parent families held up as the ideal situation.
If I’m not careful, I can end up feeling not just alone, but resentful as hell. But one thing that helps lance my boil of single parent bitterness is seeing people in the public eye going through the same things I am.
Today, on National Single Parent Day, we’re repping for solo parenting by collecting some relatable quotes from celebrities who are (or have been) single parents. Of course having a couple of nannies and a load of disposable income can make things a little easier, but some feelings are universal.
Hopefully they’ll serve as a reminder that even though you’re a single parent, you are definitely not alone.
1. Edie Falco: ”As a single mom, I’m juggling a lot and working long hours. Yes, it costs them a little, but what my children get in return is a mother who is energized and content. It helps us to bring out the best in each other, which is what a family should do.”
2. Diane Keaton: “The loves of my life are my children and my mother. I don’t feel as if I need a man.”
3. Sandra Bullock: “The only man in my life is my son, and it’s probably going to stay this way for a while ...I go to bed wearing a very baggy one-piece cheetah suit, just because it makes my son laugh. My sexy lingerie has been locked in a drawer for a while!”
4. Sherri Shepherd: “I’m a hustler. I’m a single mom, so whatever I’ve gotta do—me and Jenny McCarthy have this mantra, ‘Momma gotta feed the baby.’”
5. Minnie Driver: “It’s the greatest love affair of my life, with this baby. I’m a single mom, [but] his dad is amazing and in his life. I don’t feel alone. Babies attract love…They attract people who love them.”
6. Padma Laskhmi: “It’s the only way of life I’ve known. I was raised by a single mom. I was told I couldn’t have children, so every day I am kissing the sky with happiness about it.”
7. January Jones: “People keep saying, ‘Oh poor you, being a single mom,’ but I don’t want to be pitied. I can do anything I want to do. I work, I date, I have friends. I have time for everything I had time for before. I just have an added amazing thing in my life. I have a great family and friends, and I know they’d be there if I needed help, but I feel like I’m doing fine on my own.”
8. Kate Winslet: “Single mums do come in for a hard time. Society is incredibly judgmental. I know this. My life has taken me down several different paths I never expected it to take me down. Not in a million years. And I know the true meaning of getting by by the skin of my teeth. I do. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got money or you haven’t, whether you’re famous or not. This is the case for all women actually, you have to carry on. You always have to carry on. And you can, because you have to.”
9. JK Rowling: “I would say to any single parent currently feeling the weight of stereotype or stigmatization that I am prouder of my years as a single mother than of any other part of my life.”
10. Regina King: “I think it is definitely difficult for any professional being a mother, and a single one at that. It’s hard not having a partner to raise your child. It’s difficult, but far from impossible and we smile more than we cry.”
11. Connie Britton: “I do want to say there are so many women out there who are single moms, really not by choice, and doing it and making it work every day. I think it’s becoming much more a part of our culture and I hope that it will become more accepted and that those women are going to be more and more appreciated, respected and supported.”
12. Denise Richards: “The best gift a parent can give children is time ... Single moms need to know it’s okay to have a little ‘me’ time. You’ll feel refreshed and you’ll be a better mom!”
13. Nia Long: “Don’t feel guilty about being a single mother. Patience is super important as a single mother. You do have to be a little more patient because all of the responsibility is on you…ask for help!”
14. Charlize Theron: “It’s challenging but we manage. I work, but my children are my priority. Nothing’s better than the sound of little ones cracking up at something funny; I’m now at my most comfortable waking up with my kids, going to the beach and relaxing over a meal with friends.”
15. Taraji P. Henson: “Hell, even the President of the United States — four of them, in fact — were raised by single mothers. Nevertheless, mention that you’re a single mom, and all-too-many of us still have to cut through a thick, gristly layer of stigma before we’re given our proper due.”
16. Mary Louise Parker: “I wish I could give them everything that was a perfect little family paradigm, but I can’t. Honestly, I feel like that doesn’t even exist, or at least I try to tell myself that when I am feeling bad about not providing it.”
17. Amanda Stanton: ”I decided instead of being embarrassed of my failed marriage and ashamed of being a single mother, I was going to OWN it. Being the best mother you can be and giving your kids the BEST life possible has nothing to do with your relationship status and you don’t have to be happily married to have a ‘picture-perfect family.’”
18. Solange: “I think it’s really important for every mother to find their own way.”
19. Michelle Williams: “You make it work. You keep getting out of bed. Sometimes it’s just because you know there’s a cup of coffee downstairs.”
