The Stork And I

I didn’t wake up one day and think, ‘Yep, solo parenthood. That’s definitely the plan.’

It took me a long time to get there. I went back and forth for nearly 3 years before I decided to go for it.

And having now coached 1,000+ women through the decision to become a solo parent, I know it wasn’t uncommon to feel like this.

The fears, doubts and questions I had are incredibly common.

⭐️ What will this mean for my child?
⭐️ What if I regret it?
⭐️ What if I’m making a selfish decision?
⭐️ What if I wait and it’s too late?
⭐️ Can I really do this on my own?
⭐️ What if I still want a relationship?
⭐️ What will other people think?

These aren’t necessarily things that can be answered overnight. And you don’t have to silence the fear or convince yourself that everything will be easy.

But you can work through each one.

You can separate the things you genuinely want from the things you’ve been conditioned to believe you should want.

You can explore what’s holding you back, what matters most to you, and what your own version of family could look like.

That’s exactly why I created Choosing Solo.

It’s not about me telling you whether you should become a solo parent.

It’s about giving you the space, support and tools to work through the decision for yourself, so that whatever you decide, it’s a decision you feel more confident and at peace with.

If you’re currently somewhere between “Could I do this?” and “Maybe this really is my path…”, you don’t have to figure it all out alone. 🩷

Choosing Solo is open for the next group starting 7th September

SORT IT OUT SEPTEMBER 🧺✨

Septembers theme in the Thriving Solo membership is balancing career, work and life, wherever you are on your solo parenting journey.

So last week I put a question on my Instagram Stories…

How is your house looking after the summer?

And honestly… the results made me feel A LOT better about my own house 😂

90% of you said your house was totally chaotic or could definitely do with some attention.

And then there was the 10% of you who said you were totally on top of things.

👀 WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?!

Seriously. I need to know. 😂

Because I know I’m not the only one who feels like life is a constant juggling act. Work, parenting, trying to conceive, running a business, social life, admin… and somewhere in the middle of all that, there’s the house.

And when life gets busy, the house is often the thing that gets pushed down the list.

So, rather than just moaning about it, I thought I’d do something to help. 😂🩷

For September, I’ve created Sort It Out September inside the Thriving Solo Membership.

It’s a WhatsApp group designed to give us a bit of support, encouragement and accountability to get on top of those jobs that have been building up, but in bite sized chunks.

No massive weekend clear outs.
No pressure to have a Pinterest perfect home.
No judgement. 😂

Just little jobs, a bit of motivation, some accountability and the satisfaction of getting stuff DONE.

And it’s open to everyone in Thriving Solo, whether you have children at home or not. 🩷 Although some

I’ve shared the link to join in Mighty Networks, so if your house is currently looking a bit chaotic, come and join us!

Let’s sort it out together. 💪🏻

I think we spend a LOT of time talking about what children might miss out on by being raised in a solo parent family.

The second parent they won’t have.
The things that might be harder.
The questions we worry they might ask.

And those concerns are real. There are challenges to being raised in any family structure, including ours.

But sometimes I think we forget to talk about what children can gain from growing up in a solo parent family too.

For me, that’s been one of the biggest learnings of living this life for the last 8 years.

Watching my daughter grow up and thrive, and recognising that some of those things aren’t happening despite our family structure, they’re happening because of it.

None of this means solo parent families are better.

It isn’t a competition.

And I’d never want to dismiss the things that can be difficult for our children too.

But I also don’t want us to constantly view solo parenthood through the lens of what children are missing.

Because there can be so much they’re gaining too. ❤️

Make sure you save this post for those days when you’re having a wobble and send it to the women in your life who need a reminder 🩷

What else would you add to the list?

Summer Camp for Families 🛶🕺🌲 you were a total joy. Very solo parent friendly.

We loved it.

We are booking for next year.

If you fancy joining us, I’ve added the details to the Thriving Solo Membership. We’ll camp together. We’ll help each other out. The kids will hang out. It’ll be a vibe!

Can’t wait! 🩷

My latest reflections on the summer holidays.

The moment it’s over I’m tracking my house! 🤣

Save this post if you need reminding sometimes we just need to let things go for a while whilst we manage the juggle.

How are you getting on?

Some people say, “It doesn’t get easier. The hard parts just change.”

And I get what they mean.

The hard parts do change.

But I also think it does get easier overall (or at least for me it has)

Not because parenting becomes easy. There are still plenty of challenges and things that are thrown at us to deal with.

But because your child becomes more independent. You’re not running after them at all times keeping them out of danger.
You become more confident.
You know them better.
You know yourself better.
And there are more and more things you simply don’t have to do anymore.

The hard things may change, but the overall experience for me at least did get easier.

And I think it’s okay to say that.

Because telling solo parents that it never gets easier can make those early, relentless years feel like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.

There is. For most people there really is.

We’ve seen it first hand at our meet ups. People reflecting that as their children get older the meet ups become much easier.

It gets easier in ways you might not even be able to imagine yet. ❤️

So if you’re deep in the middle of solo parenting a young child, save this post to remind yourself that things can get easier over time.

Has this been your experience? 🩷