I just watched something that made me think about my long-term responsibilities as a parent. Specifically, what would happen if I suddenly became a single mom. Emotional and physical hardships aside, would I be able to take on the financial burden to support my DD? What kind of life would I be able to provide for her? Will I be struggling? How badly?

This reminds me of a recent family friend I had gotten to know. Her husband suddenly fell into a coma and she was left with 2 small children and a mortgage she couldn't afford on her own. She said she had to be a machine back then, taking on at least 2 jobs at a time, doing whatever she could. She ended up losing her home and even now, she still has a hard time explaining those days (it was many, many years ago and her daughters are now grown). I can't even imagine how hard that was for her.

This also reminds me of a made-for-TV movie I watched back when we were still TTC. Note: his example is the utmost extreme: it was also a mom with 2 girls and her husband suddenly died in an accident. She was a SAHM and didn't handle any of the money. She lost their family home and became homeless. The story was about her youngest daughter that was adopted and her sister that ran away and their contrasting lifestyles as an adult. The adopted sister had a good life, while the other had frequent run-ins with the law. It was such a sad, sad story because it eventually explained their mother's death (they thought she just left them). Argh.

  • Emotional and physical hardships aside, how would you be able to take on the financial burden to support your LO(s) alone?
  • What kind of life would you be able to provide?
  • Will you be struggling? How badly?
  • Most importantly, are you doing anything to help alleviate the financial burden if the worst-case scenario happens and you lose your SO?