The Truth About Single Parenthood

Ever since it first launched back in 2012, Whisper has remained an unabashedly honest forum for strangers across the Internet to confess their deep, dark secrets without shame. Its glorious (and occasionally problematic) anonymity means it attracts a slew of eye-opening posts every month, ranging in nature from the slightly TMI to the straight-up holy f**k. But salacious confessions aside, Whisper is also home to plenty of heartwarming posts, too — so much so that it inspired the recent BuzzFeed video "Single Parent Confessions," based on a recent Whisper thread of the same name. The result? A moving clip that reminds us in less than 2 minutes just what badasses single parents really are.

Believe it or not, the rate of single parents has more than tripled in America since the 1960s; and according to the Pew Research Center, 34 percent of children currently live with a single parent. When it comes to single moms in particular, that rate has been rising somewhat meteorically for the last 50 years. In fact, a Washington Post report in December 2014 noted that single motherhood has become so common in the U.S. that "demographers now believe half of all children will live with a single mom at some point before the age of 18."

And yet despite the experience being so increasingly common, single parents still often feel marginalized and alone in the grand scheme of things. Their daily parenting struggles — of just getting their kid out the door to the school bus; of knowing whether they're making the right decision; and of feeling, at times, so utterly alone — are compounded by the fact that they don't often have a partner to share the load with or look to for reassurance. Single parents are also more likely to face financial struggles, which can make matters even worse.

There are of course, huge rewards that come along with raising your kid on your own — and knowing that you, and you alone, made them into the tiny, awesome person that they are.

As one dad shared, even the small parenting victories can bring big moments of pride.

"I learned how to braid my 4-year-old girl's hair. I am proud of myself."

Of course, getting that much-needed alone time can be golden.

"As a single mom, my idea of a good time is getting to watch one hour of TV interrupted."

For parents who split custody, the time away from their kids can also be brutal, as one dad shared.

"I hate when my kids go back to their mom. my son left his shirt, and i smelled it because I missed him."

And there will always be those moments of intense self-doubt.

"I'm a single mom to a beautiful baby girl, but sometimes I just want to hide in a corner and cry for hours."

But in the end, there are worse things. Like making the bed, for example.

"I always get praise for being a single dad, and that it must be hard, etc. Single dad ain't nothing compared to trying to fold fitted sheets."

OK, Dad. You definitely have a point there. Fitted sheets are basically the worst.

Images: BuzzFeed/YouTube (5)