Hellobee Boards Topic: Could you raise your child alone... or are you?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Could you raise your child alone... or are you? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 02:59:06 +0000 Killer b on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-5069 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:48:04 +0000 Killer b 5069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Nope. No way, no how. If I found myself in a situation that my SO wasn't able to be there, I'd have to move back in with my parents!! There's just no way I could cope. Besides, my mom would have a conniption if I put my daughter in day care while she was capable of babysitting! chopsuey on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-5003 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:25:51 +0000 chopsuey 5003@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My husband went to SF for 10 days last month for a business trip. On top of that, both my baby and I were sick. OMG I thought I was going to die. I got through it because I had to though. Mad props to all the single moms and dads out there. Boogs on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4983 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:56:11 +0000 Boogs 4983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My husband works 24 hour shifts and occasionally works 3 in a row. Or he has side jobs he does with family so he won't be home for extended periods of time. Those experiences being alone that long make me so grateful that I'm not a single parent, it's VERY hard work. If I HAD to do it I'm sure I could survive, but for myself it wouldn't be an ideal way to live. Honeybee on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4877 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:29:41 +0000 Honeybee 4877@https://boards.hellobee.com/ With my husband's work schedule, I have short periods of time where I take care of DD on my own. For example, my husband just got off a month of working 12 hour shifts overnight, and went straight into 1.5 months of working 12 hour days and weekends. So for about 2.5 months, we saw him maybe 10 minutes a day and one weekend day. It's hard. It's exhausting being the sole person responsible for DD, and we don't have any family around, so my only "breaks" were while I was at work and DD was at daycare. This pretty much happens every summer, so I can expect a replay of this next year, only with a newborn added in. I'm lucky that, even when my husband was working a lot, I still have his emotional and financial support, though. I know that I could physically function as a single parent, but it'd be infinitely harder if I didn't have him to help me pay the bills or to call at night after DD goes to bed. Major props to @hreichard because I think actually doing everything on your own is a lot of hard work. hreichard on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4508 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:10:58 +0000 hreichard 4508@https://boards.hellobee.com/ tequiero & sandsandmore-just for laughs and giggles....before i had Jovani it took me over an hour to get a shower, do my hair, do my makeup and get dressed for work. Now that i have Jovani, i can do it all in about 35 minutes or so...haha! You definitely learn shortcuts, how to adjust and how to get your butt moving in the morning to get done before he wakes up and wants changed, fed and wants to play...haha! So it's kind of like a guessing game every morning whether i can get done before he wakes up or not...haha! hreichard on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4506 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:07:46 +0000 hreichard 4506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Tequiero & Sandsandmore- Thank you, i appreciate it.. At first when i got pregnant my sons dad was around, then after a month he left me. We were together 3 1/2 years, we tried chlomid, tracking ovulation, all that stuff & it didnt work for us. The doctor told me to drop 20lbs, so i did zumba to lose weight, ate right and bam...i ended up pregnant! I was on my own the whole time i was pregnant. You may think you cant handle it until you are thrown into the situation and you have no choice. When i was pregnant i used to worry and think i couldnt handle it. Then as soon as Jovani came home from the hospital i went straight into mommy mode. Now weekends his dad has him, it's like "oh my gosh, what am i going to do without him"...haha! looch on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4478 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:33:24 +0000 looch 4478@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Exactly, sandsandmore. sandsandmore on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4469 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:06:40 +0000 sandsandmore 4469@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We all could if we had to. You just figure out how to make it work. Kudos to you @hreichard. tequiero21 on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4453 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:51:47 +0000 tequiero21 4453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @hreichard - giving you tons of props. i don't even have kids and my husband complains that i don't keep the house clean and i can't cook. lol. i guess we all do what we have to do, but at this point, i really don't think i could handle working full-time (at work and at home) and also take care of the kids. wow. hreichard on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4447 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:33:20 +0000 hreichard 4447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I raise my son on my own. I am a single mother. I work 7:30am-4:00pm and then go home, cook, clean and take care of my 3 month old on my own. I dont have any problem taking care of him on my own. I guess because i have no choice, this is what i'm used to so i'm not used to having the extra help. I just have been able to do it alone. I guess i'm just a strong person. looch on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4431 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:46:24 +0000 looch 4431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @blushink: me too! I thought it would be so easy since I would have help from my aunts, but still. It was an exhausting 5 days. mrbee on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4421 Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:39:11 +0000 mrbee 4421@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I know what you mean, blushink! I realized today... I could do it during the week if I had the weekends off to rest. But I don't think I could do it 7 days a week! Mrs. Sunglasses on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4420 Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:28:35 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 4420@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I went on vacation with my whole family and mavi this summer but the hubs stayed home because of his work. It was the TOUGHEST week I ever lived and made me realize how hard single parents work. Andrea on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4351 Sat, 15 Oct 2011 06:45:29 +0000 Andrea 4351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I am not a single parent. I just wanted to comment and say that I am sure you could do it if you had no choice. We all can because we would have to. It sounds like you're doing a great job and thumbs up for wanting to step up your game! I hope Mrs. Bee starts to feel better .... mrbee on "Could you raise your child alone... or are you?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/could-you-raise-your-child-alone-or-are-you#post-4344 Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:37:25 +0000 mrbee 4344@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Mrs. Bee hasn't been feeling well lately. :-( As a result, I've been taking care of Charlie more than usual the last few days, and it's given me a very very small taste of what it would be like to be a single dad. And let me just say: wow. It's harder than I had imagined! I have been blown away by this small peek into the world of single parenthood. I mean, I think I could maybe pull it off with one kid... but could I do it with two under two? It just seems impossible, but I know there are people who do it AND work full-time. A huge hat tip to anyone out there pulling that off every day! And if I was a single dad... I would have to get a 9-5 job that's less demanding. Or maybe start taking some pills so that I would never ever have to sleep. Somehow, somewhere, I'd have to find more time to make it work. That said, there are parts of the last few days that I've really loved. I've been taking Charlie on long walks every evening, and he has truly loved them. It has helped me realize that I need to step up my game as a dad, and do father/son things with him every day instead of just sticking him in front of YouTube with his favorite video playlists. Not that I would ever do that... god, what a horrible parent I would be if I relied on that trick every single morning while packing Charlie's lunch. :-) Another thing I've learned is that when you work harder for your kids, you love them more. Whoever invented that trick must've been a single parent, because it is awesome. Anyway it's been a humbling experience, but also an empowering one. I love being a dad, and it's great to feel like I could possibly take care of at least one of the kids on my own in an emergency. Even if I'm probably just kidding myself, and wouldn't last more than a few days! Could you raise your child alone - or are you currently raising your child by yourself? I'd love to hear your stories... and advice!!