Hello everyone,I just found this website and would like to say how great I think it is.I have looked at alot and this one just seems to be more personalized than most.I think it's great! I am a single mother,of course,39 years old with a wonderful 9 (almost 10) year old son.I pretty much felt like nobody else was in the same situation I was until I read some of these posts--now I'm not alone.I guess I'm the typical single mom,I live at home with my mother and she watches my son while I work at a job I hate.I am barely making it paycheck to paycheck-usually I don't.My sons dad isn't in the picture at all,no chid support or anything,he pops up every 3 or 4 years and wants to see him , but it's only for an hour or so then he disappears again. I'm sorry, I was just going to introduce myself but once you start venting it's hard to stop. Anyway,my question is if it ever gets any better? I'm almost 40 and want to go back to school-buy a house and make a better life for my son. Where do you start----nothing ever seems to change or get better. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hey girl. Glad you found this site. I know first hand how hard it is...and second hand as well.

I come from a single parent home. My mother was married 5 times, and she never got on her feet (she is now over 50 and still cannot get a decent job or home).

I have been divorced twice. My current divorce has been drug out for the past year. I have 3 children. My oldest lives with his dad, he is 11. I get visitation and pay child support to his father.

Then, I have a 7 year old daughter who was the result of a rape. I don't get a dime from the man who impregnated me for child support. I have been raising her on my own. I lived with my dad for a couple of years to make ends meet.

Then I finally found a man I trusted and married him after 4 years of dating; he adopted my daughter. We were a picture perfect little family. I was pregnant within a few weeks of our wedding. He left me when I was 34 weeks pregnant for another woman. We have been battling for custody. He pays child support and has 50% custody of our baby together, but he refuses to even SEE my 7 year old, and she is crushed.

I had to live with my mom for a few months last year, and probably still WOULD be if she and I had not been in a fight. But now I have my own place, a job that pays me well enough to be able to work part time and still be a mom to my kids. I am lonely as heck, but we get by.

Hang in there...and God Bless.

hey Angela, thanks for writing me back--I was beginning to wonder if anyone would.Your letter was so inspiring,it made me feel bad for thinking I had it so rough.I am so sorry to hear about all the bad things you've been through,it sounds like things are alot better for you now,I am so happy for you.You didn't say how old you are. After hearing your story I feel more like things might turn around for me.It is just so difficult to get ahead enough to make a difference--where do you start? Again, thanks for writing me back,I can't tell you how much it means to have someone to talk to that actually knows how hard being a single mother is .