According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 34 percent of kids today live with an unmarried parent, up from 9 percent in 1960. Single parenting, whether by choice or not, is increasingly common, but it doesn't come without its challenges.
Single mom Tara Nash told us about some of the obstacles, and how she overcomes them. "Overcompensating by coaching sports you have never played, going on every field trip, taking them to endless activities, saving up for a year so they can have a birthday party and attempting to make it all look natural to them. Understanding that you don't have the choice to give up regardless of the daunting void you feel, or the immeasurable odds seemingly against you."
At the same time, single parenting brings unparalleled joy. "It means the privilege of being the one who always gets to hold her hand," says mom Bethany Gibson. "All her love belongs to me," adds Christina Mattheis.
We asked the HuffPost Parents Facebook community to share images that represent single parenting, and to tell us what the experience means to them. Most of the responses we received were from moms. Read their responses below, and then tell all of the single dads you know to send their photos to parents@huffingtonpost.com.
Being a single parent means never being in the picture ... because usually you're the one taking it.
Single mom means getting stuff done with your kid, even if it's nap time!
Single parenting is juggling school, work and young children with as much grace as one person can.
It's defying the odds and graduating college in order to be a good example for your child.
Most days you feel like you don't do a good enough job, then there are the days you get notes like this and you realize you are doing something right.
Being a single mother of three means walking a tightrope between sanity and madness, so when the kids ask if they can have a pillow fight in the middle of nowhere, it sounds like a fantastic idea!
All her love belongs to me. I am the lucky one! Being a single mom has only made me stronger.
It means the occasional family bed. (Notice I have 3 inches of space and a toddler leg across my face.)
At the end of the day, when you're exhausted and just feel like crying, it's moments like this that get you by. The love of your children.
To me, single parenthood looks like family filling in where there would have been an empty space.
This is what single parenting looks like to me: Copious amounts of espresso, extra caramel and green straw therapy are paramount. But at the end of the day ... they rock my world. :)
Being the single most important person in each other's lives. I fight for him and he fights for life. This is my son Jessen Whelchel, diagnosed with Stage IV High Risk Neuroblastoma in March of 2013. He went through over a year of treatments (6 rounds of chemo, 5 surgeries, stem cell transplant, radiation, and antibody treatments).
Single parents take advantage of smiles in the park.
Reality right here. After working 60+ hour weeks. While she is at her dad's, I chose to sit and watch TV and let this mess be. That's my single parent picture. I have a cute little perfect one too, of my daughter and I cuddling and laughing, but this is more my reality.
This picture, the fear on my face and the joy on his face, sums up our life perfectly.
This is what single parenthood means to me.
An unconditional love that words can't express. An unwavering drive to improve your circumstances. The realization that looking outwardly is necessary, and doing good for others is paramount to changing the world they will be living in. Embracing your strong points, and accepting your weaknesses as a parent.
It means making each moment count with love. Never taking yourself too seriously and finding ways to be silly with your child.
Making sure your kiddos are successful.
I've done my job, now it's time for him to go out in the world. This is the day he moved from my house in Iowa to his dad's house in Florida to go to college.
The love of my life.
Tea for two.
It means the privilege of being the one who always gets to hold her hand.
Family yoga: Partnering with three people instead of the normal two. Love my little family. We are a team.
Doing everything yourself!!
One income. Lotsa sharing.
How we usually end up after work/school.
It means that I fought extra hard to beat cancer five times to be here to watch my son grow up.
Single parenting. Even in deep depression you pretend to be fabulously happy.
Being a single parent means spending Christmas morning with these three adorable boys and then having to "share" them (for the first time) that same day with their father. Bittersweet.
This. My ex-husband of 13 years and I coming together to be a part of our daughter's life. We are single parents, but we love our daughter.
I have to tape paper to the floor and let her color just so I can clean the apartment. It works, but then I have to clean the marker off of her!
It means life isn't always a beach but sometimes you need to play in the sand. Taking time out of that 70-hour work week and fill in those holes with sand, castles, and fun. Praying you are doing enough, if you have enough, if your time with them is enough. Just taking them every chance you get and go on an adventure you don't have to spend money, the most precious gift you could ever give your child is time. So go play in the sand!
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!” -Sandra Bullock, mom to Louis CORRECTION: An earlier version of this caption misspelled Sandra Bullock's first name.
Madonna
"I'm not going to lie -- it's hard work having four kids and doing all the work I do. Sometimes I cope with it very well, sometimes it's a struggle ... It's a challenge juggling everything -- multi-tasking is my middle name. I try to express that." -Madonna, mom to Lourdes, Rocco, David and Mercy
Padma Lakshmi
“In truth, I am a single mother. But I don’t feel alone at all in parenting my daughter ... Krishna has a whole other side of her family who loves her, too. And so Krishna is parented by me, but also by her grandmother and aunts and cousins and uncles and friends. The more who encompass her, the more different kinds of people who are in Krishna’s life, the better off she is." -Padma Lakshmi, mom to Krishna
Jennifer Lopez
“I am a non-traditional family. Me being a single mom, their dad doesn’t live at home with them. They have three stepbrothers from two moms…that’s not traditional. [But family] is about love and that’s what I constantly remind myself of because I kind of let society get inside my head, ‘Oh, it shouldn’t be like this. I did this, I did that. I failed.' And it’s like, no. They’re happy, they’re healthy, they’re loved more than anything in the world and they’re going to be fine. I want them to know that." -Jennifer Lopez, mom to Max and Emme
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.” -January Jones, mom to Xander
Teri Hatcher
"The one thing I never feel secure about is the way I parent." -Teri Hatcher, mom to Emerson
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." -Michelle Williams, mom to Matilda
Solange Knowles
[Motherhood] is definitely a balancing act, and it is not at all easy. I do the best I can, which involves a lot of saying no to things, actually, and a lot of really organized scheduling and a lot of help, to be honest." -Solange Knowles, mom to Daniel Julez
Heidi Klum
"Schedule. You have to schedule. When you have four kids especially, they all have different things that they like to do, different friends, and different interests. So, to make sure that they all get what they individually deserve, you have to make sure that they get it." -Heidi Klum, mom to Leni, Henry, Johan and Lou
Sheryl Crow
"The only advice I have is that there will never seem like a great time to [adopt as a single mom] -- just like when you're married, it never seems like the perfect time to have a baby. So you dive in and make your life work." -Sheryl Crow, mom to Wyatt and Levi
Mary-Louise Parker
"Becoming a mom is the best thing that's happened to me. I'll be the first to admit that it can be very hard to raise two kids, but I absolutely love it. I can't imagine what my life would be without my children." -Mary-Louise Parker, mom to William and Caroline
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.” -Minnie Driver, mom to Henry
Connie Britton
“Being a single mom is challenging, but never in a million years would that have stopped me. You get an idea in your head and you’re going to do it ... People can tell you how hard marriage is or how hard it is to birth a baby, but we do these things. We want the journey of that.” -Connie Britton, mom to Yoby
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!" -Denise Richards, mom to Sam, Lola and mom to Eloise
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![<strong>“I am a non-traditional family. Me being a single mom, their dad doesn’t live at home with them. They have three stepbrothers from two moms…that’s not traditional. [But family] is about love and that’s what I constantly remind myself of because I kind of let society get inside my head, ‘Oh, it shouldn’t be like this. I did this, I did that. I failed.' And it’s like, no. They’re happy, they’re healthy, they’re loved more than anything in the world and they’re going to be fine. I want them to know that." -Jennifer Lopez, mom to Max and Emme </strong>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/SSDSKJA6IfJxFrlQ6x.3ag--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5b9e19a51f00002d0021ddcd.jpg)
![<strong>[Motherhood] is definitely a balancing act, and it is not at all easy. I do the best I can, which involves a lot of saying no to things, actually, and a lot of really organized scheduling and a lot of help, to be honest." -<a href="http://www.bet.com/news/lifestyle/2013/06/05/solange-knowles-opens-up-about-hardships-of-being-a-single-working-mother.html" target="_blank">Solange Knowles</a>, mom to Daniel Julez </strong>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/c3F8.dtPbTAWn6vvfEbGZQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5b9e19a92000004e00fe36ec.jpg)
![<strong>"The only advice I have is that there will never seem like a great time to [adopt as a single mom] -- just like when you're married, it never seems like the perfect time to have a baby. So you dive in and make your life work." -<a href="http://www.redbookmag.com/fun-contests/celebrity/sheryl-crow-interview-2" target="_blank">Sheryl Crow,</a> mom to Wyatt and Levi</strong>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xsXcHkqqE6A_hHJpkpTAgA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5b9e19aa2000003000fe36ee.jpg)
![<strong>“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.” -<a href="http://celebritybabies.people.com/2009/07/17/minnie-driver-calls-henry-her-greatest-love-affair/" target="_blank">Minnie Driver</a>, mom to Henry </strong>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/cxIOyRtLNx7tBjsF5vLGIw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5b9e19ac2000003100fe36f0.jpg)
