I was raised by single parents. My parents divorced when I was 8 and while they co-parented reasonably well together they were each raising us on their own at various points in our lives. Maybe this is why I'm hypersensitive to the term "single parenting".
Recently I've heard several friends with children comment that they're "single parenting" for the weekend or for a few days when their significant others are away for business, shopping trips, golf vacations, etc. Because I believe most misdirected sentiments are a result misinformation on a topic, I'm writing this post to help clarify what being a single parent really is. Being alone with your children while your significant other is away is not single parenting.
I'm sure that being alone with your child as the primary parent for 24+ hours is challenge and requires extra time and effort on behalf of the parent who is with the child. However, this does not make you a single parent. Single parents are the parents who juggle everything on their own. They not only handle the baths, the homework, the play dates, and the loneliness they're also responsible for all of the finances with little if any additional support from the other parent. Single parents do not have the luxury of someone to lean on at the end of the day or someone to vent to because the little ones are exceptionally wound up that day. Single parents do it all. They juggle everyone's schedules and miraculously manage to get everyone to practice, piano lessons, and tutoring sessions on time. Their minds are racing before they ever get out of bed trying to figure out how they're going to fit it all in. They don't get TV time hardly ever and are always trying to teach themselves how to become the in house repair person on top of the professional, the teacher, and the parent. They would stop to remember what it was like to have a significant other but don't have the time. Instead they immerse themselves in the love they have for their child and try to delicately answer the questions about where the other parent is and why they're not still together. This is single parenting.
So the next time you find yourself being the main caregiver of your children for an extended period of time, stop and be thankful for the fact that you're really not a single parent after all.