The hardest occupation in the world is that of being a parent. It comes with infinite responsibilities, extra long hours, no vacation or sick days, and will take to you places you never dreamed you would go. And when you are a single parent, the challenges triple in size.

But despite those challenges, the rewards are immense!

Welcome to BellaOnline’s Single Parents corner. I am your host, Cynthia Parker, and I am a single parent. My single parenting days began when my oldest daughter was four and I was pregnant with my youngest daughter. My daughters are now 13 and 17 years old and while I occasionally have wondered if we were all going to make it intact and alive, the journey has been worth every moment.

We have all heard that children don’t come with instruction booklets and no two are ever alike. It’s true! What works with one with be the downfall of another. What one considers a reward will only solicit disdain from the next. Parenting is a challenge at best, but as a single parent there are added challenges that other parents don’t consider: no one to share the late nights, no one to give you a break when you are ready to pull out your hair, no one to share the heartaches, and no one to share the joys and triumphs. Yes, it is every bit as important to have someone to share the good as well as the bad. And as a single parent, it all rests squarely upon your shoulders.

If you are fortunate, you have good friends or close family with whom you can share some of your stories of doubt, worry, success, and pride, but it just isn’t the same as having someone you can talk with that KNOWS what it is like to be in your house and to deal with the issues you deal with each day when it comes to your children.

While those who congregate in this little corner of BellaOnline won’t literally be in your house, they will have a few things in common with you - they are single parents of children of varying ages who have either been through, are going through, or will go through the same issues as you. In other words, we have all been there, are there, or will be there in the near future.

My hope is to build a network where we can share our thoughts, disappointments, hopes, dreams and doubts for the future - that of our children and our selves. That’s right - just because we are single parents doesn’t mean that our lives cease to exist. As important as is the lives of our children, so is our own. Some of probably need to learn how to reclaim them! I also hope that this can be a forum to discuss parenting situations, regardless of topic or level of difficulty, and receive encouragement, a shoulder to lean on, and perhaps some friendly advice.

I look forward to exploring the issues of single parenting with all of you. If you have a topic you would be interested in seeing covered, please submit it to me via email and I will be happy to research it for a feature article. I will be sending out a weekly newsletter, and I am going to try to organize a topic-related chat at least once every two weeks - if interest is great, weekly.

I am looking forward to meeting all of you! As strong as single parents must be, we are a mighty force when joined together.