Single mothers command respect, and they ought to.
Left to raise children without a spouse, these women must be financially independent, have eyes on the backs of their heads, and somehow find additional hours beyond the normal 24 hour allotment.
And that task only becomes more difficult when they have to wrap their heads around raising boys.
There are, of course challenges and anxieties unique to male and female children and teens. Without another male person around the house to empathize, single mothers have to be very resourceful and candid to get through the years-long struggles.
Perhaps gearing up for a similar situation, Redditor RocketQueen1992 asked:
"Sons of single mothers, what is something all moms need to know while raising a boy?"
Of course, puberty was discussed at length.
A Knock Makes All the Difference
"If they've hit puberty, knock before entering."
"It will save both parties some trauma and awkwardness."
It Can Wait
"Do not wake up boys in the morning and immediately ask them to get out of bed."
"It will result in a very awkward conversation neither of us wants to have. Wake us up and tell us to come do whatever you need in a few minutes."
-- ablondedude
Be Open
"Research male puberty so you're prepared to give 'The Talk.' Also be prepared to teach your son how to shave because his father may not be available to do so himself. My mom was fully prepared for all this and more, she credits that to having 3 brothers and being the only girl."
"Also don't be afraid to expose him to girly things too! Every boy should also have an understanding of the female body because it helps them empathize with their female friends and family."
"Also don't be afraid to share your interests and hobbies with him too, it will only deepen your bond! One of my fondest memories of growing up was watching the Golden Girls with my mom."
Chaotic Years
"A teenage boy is going to have mood swings from I want to punch everything to I want to hump everything.. he needs outlets to deal with both."
"And both are helped with healthy doses of privacy so he can sort it out."
Still Can Be a Teacher
"Definitely inform yourself about the male body. My mother never understood it and could never teach me about myself, I had to discover everything myself, and I did, but those were some years filled with strong anxiety."
-- Haxminator
Time and Place
"Don't harass him about girls he likes or dating, it's not funny or cute to prod, it's uncomfortable as hell and not something everyone wants to really talk about"
-- Freshman44
Pragmatic Advice
"Not a son of a single mother but a medical student: please for the love of god teach your son to dry his penis after he leaves the shower. You have no idea how many rashes and infections are caused by that."
-- brodyhaffer
People Explain The Worst Thing That's Ever Happened To Them On Their Birthday
Other people discussed the importance of being patient with a son's inherent position as a man in society. Sometimes, the wounds of the man who left take awhile to heal.
He's Not Him
"Even if you have a hardcore hatred of men you can't let that influence the way you raise a son."
"My Mom hated men because of whatever my father did to her. I was treated different from my sister because of that. I still love my mother but at one point after I moved out we didn't talk for years."
"My sister was bigger, stronger, and more athletic than me. Despite being younger she would bully me so badly. If I laid a finger on her my Mother punished me badly. Not only that, I was literally raised as a girl for the first 6-7 years of my life because of how much my Mom hated men."
-- Bullydaddy
Let Him Start Fresh
"Please.. Never put another man before your son."
"Also he is not his father, don't hold him accountable for things that his father may have done."
Encourage Autonomy
"I'd say for boy or girl, never, ever, compare your child to the parent that left. Every time my mom says 'Don't act like [Dead beat]' or 'Don't make that face, you look like [Dead beat].' It breaks my heart every time because I know just how much she hates him and I don't want that for anyone else."
-- okand5445
At Least It Only Lasted Two Weeks
"Don't berate nor trash talk men with sweeping generalizations. My mom is a single mom and my dad split when I was 10 and my mom trash talked him so much that for about 2 weeks, I just about resented women until I realized how foolish and ignorant of a thing to do it was."
And others talked about the ways some single mothers try to fill the absence of a father and husband figure. The truth is, it can't be filled easily, so try to do so only makes things more strained.
It's Gotta Be Real
"Don't marry someone you don't love because you think your son needs a father-figure or for the sake of financial stability. My mom did, no one came out of it happy."
Demonstrate Self-Respect
"Leave if you find yourself with more abusive men."
"It's not fair for a child to feel as though the most important person to him chooses a**holes over him. It causes lasting damage."
-- Dipsendorf
He Is Still a Child
"Do not expect your son to fill your missing spouses role."
"My mom would constantly act like I was some male patriarch of the house, constantly giving me extra stress like financial concerns and death plans. Gave me an unnecessary amount of stress and didnt allow me to have much of a fun childhood since I was 'playing dad' "
-- Manofluckhoa
Not a Zero-Sum Game
"When you meet another man that you fall in love with we are still there and we still need your love and attention"
-- Zaddy13
Of course, we cannot let this list make us think that all single mothers do these kinds of things. There are so many amazing mothers out there busting tail and maintaining compassion all the way through. Here's to you!
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Young children are powerless little monsters. They depend entirely on their parents or guardians for food, warmth, hygiene, and emotional well-being.
Yes, that can be a total hassle. But there is something so endearing, so fulfilling about providing for such a vulnerable person. When that vulnerability has left and gone, that crash-down-to-earth feeling of a parent is palpable.
The means that prove the great shift are varied.
Sometimes it’s a look in eyes. It can be behavior observed from far away.
Or maybe it’s a subtlety of speech: a sly new absence of permission- seeking can hammer it home too.
cyclone1865 asked, "Parents of Reddit, when was your 'Damn, my kid isn't a kid anymore' moment?"
When “Legal” is More Important than “Allowed”
"I was on vacation in the Bahamas. Atlantis resort. I was in the casino at a video poker machine, and my daughter sat down at the machine next to me...drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other."
"For about a nanosecond I wanted to scold her, but then remembered that she was 20."
-- gogojack
Wind Out of the Sails
"When I was starting to get after my son about cleaning his room, and suddenly realized I was looking up at him." -- Sixthman27
"I'm 5'2. I'll be looking up at my toddler in no time." -- Zer_0
A Profound Absence of Question Marks
"When my oldest just recently said, 'Mom, Dad, I'm moving. Here are my plans, this is who I'm moving in with, and here is how I'll handle my part of the bills.'"
"Hit me like a ton of bricks."
-- tarnin
Handing Over the Reins
"Running through the Toronto airport trying to catch our flight that was leaving in 5 minutes. I hear 'Dad! Not that way, this way!'"
"She basically took charge from that moment on because she had a cooler head in that moment than I did."
"We made it to the plane with seconds to spare."
-- imk
He’s Who’s Driving the Bus
"When he hugged me as I buckled into my airline seat -- then walked forward and entered the cockpit." -- pullin2
"Can't wait to do that. Give my mother a great big hug as a thanks for all the stress and hardship my piloting career is gonna give her when I start soon." -- tHaTwAsChEeSy
Outdoing the Master
"My boy who is 3 and a half years old fell in love with Mario kart when I play on the switch. On his 4th day of playing, he drifted." -- JT_the_Irie
"I spent my entire childhood not knowing you could drift, so he's like 15 years ahead of me."-- Sharpman76
Didn’t Even Feel the Need to Share About it
"A local news channel interviewed my 16 year old son about how he was feeling about the schools in our area closing for a month due to the pandemic. Most of the interview clips they showed in the segment were from my son, but he didn't mention it to me."
"A relative sent me a link to the story that evening and I watched it three or four times, with tears in my eyes. His answers were so articulate and mature, and he looked so grown up and comfortable in front of the camera."
"It was kind of like seeing him through someone else's eyes and realizing all of the sudden that he's a young man, not really a kid anymore."
Proof is in the Plate
"When I started plating four same sized plates of food for dinner." -- ncconch
"My daughter's nearly 2 and we're far from this stage at the moment. The other night however, we were eating a pasta bake. This girl would just not stop eating, demolished 2 portions then went on to start picking from my plate." -- Flopper2k19
Conveyed through Materials
"I was separating laundry and I couldn't tell my wife's and my daughter's underwear apart." -- theworldisaniceplace
"My daughter is 8 and my wife wears sensible, comfortable britches. This is me everytime the laundry is done and the first time it happened it was just weird emotionally for me." -- flperson
No Questions Asked
"Besides the fact that he's made me a grandmother (with help from my lovely daughter in law, obviously), there was a recent family tragedy, and they really stepped up and took charge when it was needed."
-- lost40s
Apparently Mario Kart Milestones are Common
"When she was 5, my daughter kicked my ass in Mario Kart. Tbh, I was rusty and she had been playing for months and had gotten quite good."
"I could see in her eyes that she lost a bit of respect for me that day."
To Be Fair, She Sounds Like She Moves Fast
"When she looked at me with disdain & said "take your money back" after the tooth fairy visited. She's 7." -- Pointer_Brother
"Mine was when my twin boys about the same age tried to scam the tooth fairy. They tried to kick each others teeth out. Luckily they told me they had lost a tooth when they got the first one out." -- Ak_Lonewolf
"See, my brother and I just lied about believing in the tooth fairy as long as we could to con my parents. She just gave up a goldmine." -- CultOfWawa
A Wake Up Call that Comes with an Image
"The day I found my Unscented Lubriderm chilling on his nightstand.
"Oh. So that's now a thing." -- LittleMissWu
"I would die a little inside. My son is that age. I'm wondering when or where I will find the evidence." -- HotDem70
The Need for a Entirely New Logic
"I don't remember exactly when or what had happened, but I was talking to my wife about something the oldest did and suddenly realized that I had to start punishing him differently."
"All of the kid things (taking away toys, go to your room, etc) wouldn't phase him anymore as he was no longer caring much about those things."
You're Both Just Employees Now
"Unfortunately, that moment when my kid had to go to work during a pandemic and I got to laze at home." -- billyblue22
"Yeah, my lazy butt is home (job is closed) and my daughter, a nurse, is at work." -- Mysid
Disney Movies: Less Appropriate with Age
"When I was watching an animated Disney movie (no, I don't remember which). There was an adult joke hidden within the normal dialog. I thought it was funny, but was keeping my mouth shut."
"My daughter busted out laughing.....that was when I knew that she was no longer a baby."
-- daddyeart
Socratic Dingbats
"They (similar age) started fighting, but instead of the usual shit flinging or throwing punches, they started throwing actual arguments at each other."
"Like, actually making sense. And they were even replying to each other's arguments with more arguments!"
"It took like 20 seconds before they went back to sh*t flinging, but for a moment I could see the future."
-- Nomapos
Mothering an Adult
"I asked my mom this and she said it was when she had to go to the bus stop to drag my drunk ass home after I had already missed it once. Not my proudest moment."
Dad Gets Into It With School Nurse After He Decides To Bring His Daughter Home From School When She Has Her Period
A father and his husband raising a 13-year-old girl going through puberty surely comes with some challenges.
To save herself from embarrassment, their daughter would call to be picked up from school when she unexpectedly has her period.
The last thing Redittor "aita_dadnurse" needed was listening to the school nurse lecturing him about parenting after she accused his daughter of being manipulative.
Dad had some contentious words while defending his daughter but now feels guilty.
So he asked the "Am I the A$$hole" SubReddit community if his frustration was warranted.
"My husband and I (both 40m) are raising a 13-y/o girl, to clarify."
"My daughter struggles every few months with her period. She's fine most of the time, but some months she gets her period unexpected at school, and it's embarrassing to her."
"She won't carry pads because they have clear backpacks, and she doesn't like wearing her own slightly bloody underwear for half a day—understandable."
"When she gets her period, she goes to the nurse with 'an awful stomachache' and I am called (I work from home so it's easier for me to get her.) Nurse always reminds me that she 'could be faking' but I always pick her up and bring her home."
When the OP went to retrieve his daughter, the nurse had some words.
"Yesterday, she called again, so I walked into school to get her and the nurse was waiting in the office. Nurse asked me if I was aware that my daughter had 'a pattern'."
"I told her yes, but that we had things figured out. Nurse said that if she's really having stomach problems like this, I should take her to the doctor, because she might have anxiety. I said 'thank you, but my husband and I have things figured out'."
"Nurse got very cold. 'I don't think you're taking her anxiety seriously. Fathers are supposed to want what's best for their girls, and as a nurse I feel it's my duty to ensure she is safe.'"
"This lit a fuse with me. Here's where I could be TA: I told the nurse 'I know my daughter better than you do. It is none of your business what her stomach issues come from unless a parent tells you.'"
"She then told me: 'I am afraid if she is not anxious she is manipulating you into bringing her home from school. Is there a class she dreads? Does she do her homework?'"
"I said: 'My daughter is an honor roll student and an honest girl. I'm sorry you don't think so, but I know her and I know she's not lying to me. Stay out of our personal business.'"
"She turned over my daughter without saying much else."
The OP was forced to come up with an alternate plan to avoid future confrontations.
But his altercation with the nurse weighed on his guilty conscience.
"Daughter will now go to the bathroom and text me instead of the nurse—we'll just say she has 'an appointment.' I feel awful, though, for being ticked—the nurse is a professional who deals with awful parents daily, and I know she was just trying to help."
What followed was an interesting discourse about parenting, puberty and the pill.
This Redditor said "You're the a$$hole" (YTA), but explained that—unless she was suffering from a serious medical issue —saving her from distress every time sets her up for failure.
"YTA but hear me out. i'm sure she was only trying to help, and your daughter missing so much school is definitely an issue."
"she needs to carry some pads with her, maybe in a separate little decorative pouch so people can't tell what they are."
"throw some midol in there for the cramps. this is the hard part of being a woman, learning that life cannot completely stop every month when it comes."
"if there is a serious pain/discharge problem, she should visit an OB/GYN and if there isn't a serious problem, she should learn this lesson before she's fired from her first job for calling out sick every month."
"i realize how hard it is to not love on and nurture our babies when they're not feeling good but one woman's opinion, you're setting her up for failure by continuing the pattern without attempting to fix the issue."
"ETA i do think the nurse was a bit out of line by pressing the anxiety/manipulation dialogue but i still stand firm that you're unfortunately the AH here." – taylorgone
Some users talked about how schools should provide for feminine hygiene products available for emergencies.
"At school they should be free especially if a student had an accident. Back at my old high school if a girl needed one cause it came early, leaked through, or ran out we had to buy 1 from the nurse. $1 for pads $2 for tampons."
"Never could understand why they made us pay when they knew a good size of the student body couldn't do that." – Batcow2106
"There was a lot of poor and homeless kids who's families couldn't afford to get pads/tampons where i grew up."
"I remember one classmate who used towel scraps and wash them in the gyms bathroom if no one was watching. In middle school some female teachers will give extra credit if students brought in those items to help out other students." – Batcow2106
"Please do not blame the nurse. She is there earning a paycheck."
"If the school does not buy them... Can parents of females donate some to the school? Same as we donate supplies. As a teen I kept a back up pad and tampon in my locker." – megabitch420
"That is some f'ing bulls**t tampons and pads shouldn't be classified as novelty items and thus not be so f'ing expensive."
"it's not like you can stop your period at will. People need them for basic f'ing hygiene and it is such bulls**t that they're not cheaper/free." – littreshbag
Some users suggested oral contraceptives as an alternative, as the estrogen and progestin in birth control pills are known for regulating menstrual cycles.
"you can't call out sick just because you don't feel like carrying menstrual supplies."
"If she's getting more severe than average cramps she should try going on the pill. It was life changing for my sister who was suffering in high school." – insomniac29
"The pill can also be great because it makes your periods regular like clockwork, so instead of carrying supplies around all the time you know the exact day it's coming."
"I used to mark my calendar for exactly when it would strike, months in advance." – Errvalunia
However, there are some precautions to be aware of.
"There's a whole host of bulls**t that comes with going on the pill for some people, especially younger people."
"It should never be looked at as a quick fix for anything. If she doesn't want to fill her body with that s**t and she's not having sex, there's nothing wrong with taking an afternoon off from school once a month."
"I'm in my 30s and I take what I call a 'slow day' from work almost every month. I'm on birth control, but periods f'ing suck for some of us no matter what." – itsanincredibleegg
This user faulted the system and sided with the parent.
"This is an 'unintended consequence' of the rule that makes the kids use only transparent backpacks."
"I'm sure the school didn't intend to have a rule that seemingly discriminated against those girls that didn't want to advertise their periods to possibly every vulgar and immature boy in the school who may feel entitled to pass judgement, but it seems that to this pupil that's the result of this policy."
"The child has a right to her bodily autonomy, and this 'one size fits all' rule appears to have deprived her of that. Worse is the clueless nurse who instead of understanding the pubertal girls in her charge, decides to criticise this girl and her mother."
"There are definitely a$$holes in this story, but they're not the OP or her daughter." – FeteFatale
"I actually disagree about the nurse being out of line."
"I was younger than OP's daughter but I used to go to the nurse's office constantly because of stomach pain to the point that my school asked my parents to go to the doctor."
"I actually did have anxiety (although my parents didn't realise it wasn't normal for an eight year old to have pain due to stress and I wasn't taken to a psychiatrist)"
"My point is that the nurse has been seeing this young lady struggle and the parents seemingly not doing anything."
"It's not like you said 'she sometimes gets bad periods and that's why I'm picking her up.' You just said you have everything under control - that's what my parents said when they didn't deal with my anxiety."
"So I'm completely on the nurse's side here!" – JustHereToRedditAway
It's easy to designate someone as the a$$hole, but there is usually more going on than what is immediately apparent.
During the span of years between Kindergarten and Senior Year, a slew of horrifying actions are committed by children.
These faux pas are not entirely their fault. Nobody's brain is fully developed and for a hefty bulk of those years, everyone interacting with one another is completely at the whims of strong hormonal dynamics.
But, my God, how hilarious to look back on it all from the safety of adulthood, knowing that--hopefully--you are not so dumb or terrible or insecure or awkward anymore.
That said, we're not suddenly seamless these days either. we only grow so fast...
u/subzro84 asked, "What's the cringiest thing you've done in school?"What's the cringiest thing you've done in school?"
A Devastating Event For Anyone
Playing an icebreaker where you have to pick a cereal box off the ground with your teeth and cannot let your knees or elbows touch the ground.
I bend down but my tight khakis ripped right at the crotch level. Oh and I wasn't wearing boxers.
Picture me, squatted as low as possible teabagging a tiny piece of cardboard COMPLETELY hanging out in the middle of a circle of like 40 people.
A Plagiarist and a Hack
Did a stand-up comedy routine at the elementary school talent show that was just me retelling an entire Pinky and the Brain episode.
GiphyMaybe Get Some Butter to Get Things Movin’
Leaned too far forward in my desk and tipped it over. It was the kind where the chair is attached to the desk so I actually got stuck in it.
Everyone in the classroom watched as my TA had to run over and tip the desk back upright with me still in it.
Accidental Don Juan
I had to teach sex ed and one of the students asked me how many girls I'd been with. I panicked and said: "I have no idea" which was recieved as "So many I've lost count."
Puberty. Nuff Said.
Got caught by the Principal (she saw me through the window during her rounds) while drawing my English teacher nude during her lecture. And she showed the drawing to my father.
Love is NOT the Same as XBOX Live
In 3rd grade I wrote a love letter to a girl I liked, and signed it "iron raptor" because I thought that sounded so fu**ing cool.
When Friends Aren’t There For Ya
I had walked around school all day in light wash jeans covered in period blood.
A Crisp Fall Day, What Are You Gonna Do?
I still remember the day when we talked about Nazis (since we live in germany it was a topic about "how to spot them")... and I happened to wear EXACTLY the clothes the guys who visited the school described.
The Imperfect Crime
I had a great evening and forgot to close the tab, came in class and opens my laptop with full smile to hear AAAHHHHH HARDER PLEASE AAAAAAAAAAHHH ,
GiphyCut Your Losses
Middle school. I'm out walking the halls for some reason. Hottest girl in school is walking up the stairs right in front of me. She trips and faceplants into the stairs.
I was so scared to talk to her that i sprinted up the stairs right past her instead of seeing if she was alright.