Single parents should only date when they met somebody by chance and felt in their gut that they can be serious with that person or when the person is recommended by a friend and therefore, a date that is already filtered. If it is some random guy or gal that you do not really know and have no initial feelings for, better save your effort for another one. 2. Get help In raising your child, you do not just need the support of your partner and if they don t want to take responsibility for the child, do not force the issue. Instead work on your relationships with your parents, relatives and friends. You can also get some help from the community. There are a lot of organizations out there that help single parents. The usual pattern after divorce is that the mother becomes the single parent (taking the major obligation of raising the children) while the father becomes the supporting parent. In the United States, five of every six single-parent households are headed by a mother. Fathers, are only given the custody and allowed to play the role of single parent if the parent is widowed, the mother deserted her child or children, or the mother refuses custody of her child. If you feel that you can't work and be a parent simultaneously, you have to find a way to provide for your child's needs while you are being a full-time single parent. If this won't work, you should never stop finding a set up that would work best for you and your child. To be able to develop the best single parenting formula that would work for you and your child's needs, you should always be positive on your outlook in life. While others agree that the busy schedule brought by the modern times is the major culprit. No matter what the reasons are for separation of couples who have kids, there is no reason for anybody to be an irresponsible parent. Contrary to common perception that single parenting is a burden because the parent who has the custody of the child will shoulder all the responsibilities in raising the child being a single parent can be fun, too! Single mother by choice is a case of single-parent "family" Single mother by choice is an option for women who want to practice single parenting. A popular example of a woman who choose single mother by choice is Academy Award-winning actress Jodi Foster. She is a proud parent of two children and without a husband.