As a single mom and a work-at-home writer, I can honestly say I wouldn’t be where I am right now without support. Raising kids is hard work. Every parent knows that. I think anyone who has ever even babysat a kid knows that! Raising a child on your own while trying to support yourself as a writer? Whole new ball game, and I’m not very good at sports.
Thank goodness I have an amazingly supportive family. They don’t just help with Jacob, either, but they completely support my career. I know too many writers who deal with questions from family like “when are you going to get a real job.” I’m so grateful I’ve never once heard that from anyone in my family.
A Supportive Family of Experts Makes All the Difference
Here’s where it gets really cool: my family isn’t just supportive, they’re all experts in one way or another! I don’t think I’m unique in that, though. When I’m done telling you how, I bet you’ll find that your family is full of experts too.
My mom is an expert in raising two kids on her own. I only have one, so I figure she’s got twice as much experience. On the business side of things, she’s my tech support expert. Pretty handy, having tech support on hand 24 hours a day right down the hall!
Me with my Aunt Donna
I have three amazing aunts, two who were still young when I was born and are more like sisters. They all have incredibly different skills sets, from medical knowledge to business sense to event planning. They’ve been a positive, supportive force in my life since birth in so many more ways than I could ever say.
My baby brother is pretty much the smartest person on the planet. While I’m kind of mad that I can’t beat him at that new trivia game app that’s all the rage, he’s my expert on all things left-brained. I would have failed college chemistry without him! Now, he’s a successful lawyer and a new dad who still finds the time to play video games with his nephew when he visits.
While my grandparents are no longer with us, their expertise in many areas live on through remembered stories and experiences. Their support and encouragement echoes through my mind any time I have doubts about my abilities to succeed. They created this family of experts by challenging us to follow our dreams.
Since I get my expert advice in those areas from people I trust deeply, I expect my other experts to be just as trustworthy. I go to a single mechanic that I trust, a single doctor. I even get my coffee from a single barista when possible! I am loyal to my experts and expect them to be loyal to me.
State Farm’s experts are real people who inspire that kind of loyalty and trust. They offer you the comfort and confidence that you need, when you need it. While I do try to research all my basic options, as a single mom, I don’t always have time to go over every single aspect of a potential decision. I need to know that my expert will do that for me. With State Farm agents, I have that assurance.
It’s quite a feeling, knowing that I’m surrounded by so many supportive experts! I bet if you really think about your family and friends, you’ll find that you have an interesting network of experts too!
Tell me, what are YOU an expert at? Everyone has something that they’ve mastered. Don’t be shy! Share in the comments!
I think you’re doing amazingly! I am not a single mother but sometimes it feels that way as my other half works A LOT and has college in the evenings too. It’s such hard work and I could never imagine doing it full time. I think it’s lovely that you have a very supportive family who are willing to help you out.
I cannot imagine my life without the help of my loving family. It’s so amazing how their expertise and insight can really change our lives. Hats off to you for being a great mom! It takes a caring, confident person to seek out the help and advice of family to begin with. You go, sister!
I couldn’t possibly be where I am today without the support of my family! As a divorced mother of three who works full-time, writes and is working on a book, I’d absolutely be unable to get anything accomplished without them. It’s so wonderful to be able to have that as I know not everyone does. Great stuff!
You are so right! My mom and I are both special ed teachers so I’m always calling her for help. My brother is a computer programer so he’s my text support. My dad is Mr. Fix-It and can fix anything that breaks at our house. My cousin is a nurse so she’s always symptom spotting. It’s nice to have experts in the house!
Having a supportive family does make all the difference in the world. My Best friend is going through a divorce right now and friends and family are her lifeline.
It’s so great to have supportive people in your life! Thanks for sharing those in yours 🙂
My family is really supportive too…it would be hard to know where to begin if I had to list all the ways different people support me 🙂
I have two sisters who’ve been single parents at times in their lives and there was nothing better than seeing every single person in our family step in and help them when they needed it. I read a book once about raising boys and it stressed the need for boys to have uncles and neighbors and teachers who could help them with all the “boy” things when Mom has taught all she can . You’re doing amazing!
My family has been imperative in the growth of helping me obtain my goals. Being an entrepreneur, my time management is so important. They understand that my schedule is very sporadic and I can’t always commit to every family event. I thank them everyday for being understanding and supportive.
I am glad to hear you have such a supportive family, I too come from a very supportive family with so many experts. We all work together on our strengths and our weakness as a family, I can not even imagine what it’s like to be a single mum
I absolutely agree with you! Even though I’m not a single Mom I still rely on my parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, etc. to help raise my family. They are life-line absolutely!
A support system is absolutely important to have in place as a single parent.
People probably ask you when are you going to get a real job because you are still living with your parents. You write about how to be a successful single mom but you are not one yet.
Oh yes, I hear that a lot! I also have to explain often that my mom actually lives with ME now. I started out living with her, but then our circumstances switched and she fell on hard times. No single mom is an island, we all have a support system in some way. The fact that I can support a household makes me feel pretty successful. 🙂