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It was so pleasant to see that there is recognition within the single mums of Australia. 

I am a single mother and may I say not by choice, simply because I was married for 13 years but then one day my wonderful husband (whom I thought very highly of) decided to leave me for his secretary. 

I suddenly found myself being classed as a single mum and placed on single parents’ allowance. By doing this, I was ridiculed for this position I was placed in, by many people and so called friends. 

I have now been on my own for 3 years and still have not been able to find work, which I believe, reason being, I am a woman in my early 40's and that I am a single parent. 

It has now came to my attention that maybe I was meant to be a single parent, I believe that I, am a good and caring parent. Because of this situation, I have now decided to do Foster Care, because I feel as being a single mum I have more then enough love to go around several times over and that children should not have to suffer because of the so called circumstances they have been forced into. 

I know it wont be easy, but I will feel as though attitudes will change, if people could just see past the small minded people who simply do nothing but lower and undermined us single mothers, and possibly may one day realise there is good in so many of us and that we do it hard most of the time. 

The best thing is we continue to fight for recognition and survival. 

Thanking you 

JB 

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It's great to see that there is some support for us single mums. 

I am a 25-year-old single mum to two beautiful boys who are 7 and 5 years old. When I met their father I was very young and I had my eldest at 18 years. I was living in the UK at the time, 

Although he was 5 years older than me, we were both young in a sense and after nearly 3 and half years we parted. 

I will say looking after two boys is very rewarding but it also requires a lot of hard work. Their dad doesn't have much to do with the boys and has made a new life with someone else and a new child also. I wished that their dad could be there for the boys but it was his choice and as a mother I am determined that my children will grow into happy, healthy adults. 

I feel that people who attack single mums and say it's a drain on the Australian system should be ashamed of themselves. I bet the ones saying these things don't have children and have never been single parents in their lives, which a lot of the time is the case, 

I am lucky to have the support of my parents and two brothers and many friends, nevertheless being a single mum is not easy and should never be underestimated. 

I was claiming benefits In the UK after we split up until we moved back to Australia. I new that the first five years of a child's life is when he/she changes so much and its so important to bond with your children when they are very young. I wanted to be there at every new step for my children until they went to school full-time then I would get a part-time job, which I have now just got. 

I didn't choose to be a single mum! 

I was lucky enough to have both parents growing up so I would like to say to those people who make ridiculous comments, '''GET REAL'', there will always be single mums in the world and Australia for lots of different reasons. 

The most important thing is that the children are loved and looked after right, so support the mums who are there day in day out and don't be bitter about paying the future adults of Australia. 

Thank you 

Diane 

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I must say how surprised I was to read your encouraging article about single mothers. 

I have been a single mother for twenty years and have received little encouragement in all this time. 

Except for my children's primary school principal who told me that it is not how many parents a child has but how much parenting a child receives. 

It is through no fault of mine that I became a single parent as my husband left me for a girl half his age when my children were aged 5 and 2. At this time I discovered that he had accumulated massive debts with his gambling and partying etc and the family home was sold to pay off the debts and I was left with nothing but centrelink. This left me devestated and almost suicidal. 

With both my parents deceased I had to pull myself together and move forward with my three children. I received no support whatever from their father. Emotional, physical or practical. For the first five years I did receive financial support as their father was employed in the local Police Force. But then decided he was paying too much so resigned claiming that he was now receiving no income but travelled the world for four months and returned to start a small business and I never received a cent from then on. Despite him having a few properties and assets in the millions. 

Although it was extremely hard and the only people who wanted anything to do with me were other single parents who I learned so much from. I would like to add here that we are born again Christians and received little or no help from churches that we attended. 

I no longer attend or play church as it was too depressing hearing about others yearly overseas holidays and new second and third cars or houses etc. But still have my faith in God. I believe it is this faith that got us through. 

Despite enduring debiliting health problems and never having a holiday and only last month got a passport to travel to Bangkok where my daughter was in ICU having been airlifted there from Cambodia. 

I raised my children with a social concience and each have had a sponser child from the moment they could earn money. 

They refuse to wear brand clothing, drink coffee or food that has exploited people in third world countries (or developing nations). 

My eldest son 27 has a degree in journalism and is now an English and History teacher and has been to Cambodia and India to work as a volunteer with street children and orphans. 

My daughter 25 has a degree in visual arts and has been a High School Chaplain Welfare Officer and has received many awards for her work with teenagers and young adults and last year received an award from WHO for developing a programme for youth suicide and has been to Cambodia three time to work as a volunteer with children rescued from prostitution. 

And has also done work with our indigenous people in the north west of Western Australia. 

And my youngest son 22 is at present at Uni studying history and politics and has also been to Cambodia to work as a volunteer. 

They have contact with their father as I raised them to honour him but they have very little in common with him and he always has to see them in a group situation as he can't handle them one on one as he can't relate to them. 

As I said I was surprised at your encouraging comments as usually the only people who speak well of single mothers are those who have een raised by single mothers. I hope that this may encourage other single parents. 

With grateful thanks 

Janet