What is solo parenting? And what is solo parenting vs single parenting? This article will answer these questions and give you a clear understanding of the terms solo parenting and single parenting.
The idea and discussion of single parent or single parenting has remained prevalent throughout history. Mainly because of the untimely death of a spouse due to certain reasons such as disease, accident, or war.
Despite their existence, the term solo parent or solo parenting recently gained attention and recognition. It is because of a shift in the societal attitudes towards these parents. However, their existence is still not valued and recognized. They are often seen as a deviation from the traditional nuclear family model.
According to the latest figures for 2023, only in the U.S. about 18.14 million children were living with single parents. Moreover, the data from the Pew Research Center showed that the U.S. has the highest number of children living with single parents. That is nearly a quarter of children living with a single parent or a solo parent.
What is Solo Parenting?
A solo parent is a person who raises their children alone without the help or involvement of another partner. The term solo parenting is used for parents or individuals who are not in a marital relationship. Or someone who is all on his or her own for the upbringing of their child.
Now this means that the parent is responsible for making all the decisions of their child’s life and looking after them. These decisions can vary. They can be big decisions such as which school or college their child will go to. Or what will be the financial means that will provide monetary support to their child?
These decisions can also be small ones. Such as, what their child will have for dinner or what dress their child should wear on a certain occasion. And when and where will they go for vocations.
In solo parenting, the solo parent is the only person who is available for everything that goes on in a child’s life. The solo mother or solo father has to deal with all the situations. Such as going to school teacher-parent meetings, taking their child to a doctor or a game, or their ballet classes.
There are these and many more situations that the solo mother or solo father has to deal with every day – without the help or second opinion of any other partner.
Who is a Solo Parent?
A solo parent can be someone who lost their marital status because of the untimely death of their spouse. So it can be a widowed mother or a widowed father who is left all alone with their children.
In some cases, a solo parent can be an individual who is abandoned by another person. It can also be someone who chooses to be alone for whatever reasons and is alone to solo parent the child.
It is important to understand that it can’t be someone who has a partner that is partially or occasionally available and involved in the decision making process or other aspects of the child’s life.
What is Single Parenting?
In single parenting, the individual who raises the children lives without a partner or a spouse. A person can be a single parent if he or she got divorced, got separated, or remained single due to some other reason.
When single parenting the individual may have the emotional, financial, or physical support of a other parent. It means that the single parents are not alone on their own. They have someone to occasionally discuss and share the challenges that they may encounter with their children.
Who is Not a Solo Parent?
Some people refer to themselves as solo parents. Even when they have a partner who provides financial, mental, and emotional support to them.
There are also people who are single parenting and they sometimes think they are solo parenting. Especially, if one parent is away because of a job or any other reason. However, these single parents have financial and emotional support from the other parent.
Solo Parent Vs Single Parent
| Solo Parent | Single Parent |
| There is no emotional support from the other partner | Even if divorced or separated a single parent can get continuous or occasional support from the other parent |
| All alone in the decision making process | Might get breaks on weekends or certain occasions |
| No break from child-rearing responsibilities | Might get breaks on weekends or on certain occasions |
| No financial support from a spouse or a partner | Can share the financial burdens with the other parent |
| No partner for co-parenting | Have the availability of collaboration and co-parenting |
How or what it feels like to be a solo parent?
When a person is a solo parent she or he is solely responsible for each and everything of their child. It involves full mental, emotional, and financial involvement in raising children.
There is no other person to walk by your side or to provide you with backup support. As a solo parent, all the weight is on your shoulders. You are the mom and you are the dad to your kids. Hence, you have to double your effort and provide them with twice of what you have!
You have no days or time for yourself. You have to decide whether to go left or right. You have no one to share the blame if things go wrong. No one recognizes and appreciates your right decisions.
Sure you get support from your family members, your friends, and your neighbors. But they can’t fill the empty cup when you are feeling down in the middle of the night. You can also get support from childcare but again these are secondary things and not permanent.
By the end of the day, you stand alone with your kids.
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