According to the latest statistics from the single parent charity 'Gingerbread' currently there are two million single parents in the UK; And 90% of this number is made up of women, just like me.
There is a common consensus in society that children, particularly boys, go off the rails if they don't have a strong male role model in their lives.
I am inclined to disagree. Boys primarily raised by their mum's might be more protective over them, but they are also open to talking about their feelings and hopefully grow up knowing how women should be treated.
A year or so ago I was watching a singer songwriter perform in a local bar strumming on his guitar. Think Ed Sheeran but on a much a smaller scale.
At one stage in the evening a seemingly average man started videoing the singer. Myself and the friend who was with me asked the guy what he was up to. Thinking naively he could possibly be some sort of talent scout and we were actually watching the next big thing.
With no hint of embarrassment Mr Average told us he was filming the Ed Sheeran wannabe so he could show his son how being a singer and playing the guitar would get the girls to 'drop their knickers'.
He was also not ashamed to tell us that his son was nine-years-old.
Disgusting.
Sadly this guy is just one example of men bringing up children in 2016. I've also read posts on 'mummy Facebook pages' where a son has returned home from a weekend with his Dad saying girls would love him when he was older because he had a 'big willy'. 'Daddy says so'.
I have a daughter who does see her Dad and has other male influences in her life too. Though I am happy she has men around that she loves, I would not be worried if her sole 'inner circle' was made up of women.
Because the women / her 'aunties' in her life are strong. They can teach her everything she needs to know about working hard, having fun, being independent and recovering from heartbreak. All with a smile on their faces and a good sense of humour.
And that is my point. Essentially as long as children have strong role models in their lives it doesn't matter if they are male or female, gay or straight, white or black, young or old.
Just please make sure they are decent people!
To read more of my thoughts on parenting please take a peek at my blog The Baby Diaries.
Images from - Sam Emmens
