As a kid one of my favorite television shows was Kate and Allie. I think I have probably seen just about every episode. I loved it because of the 2 quirky moms and their kids. It was a fun show that always entertained me. Kate and Allie aired a long time ago and I don’t remember many specifics about the show itself, aside from the fact that it was about 2 divorced moms living together with their children in Manhatten. The show always gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.
I grew up in the “perfect” nuclear family yet it never occurred to me that Kate, Allie and their children were much different from more traditional families. The fact that Kate and Allie were single moms didn’t even register in my mind until I was much older and a single mom myself.
Little did I know that 20 years later I’d be a single mom of 2 and having a friend like Kate or Allie would be a welcomed blessing. When I first became a single mom I tried to seek out another single mom “buddy”. I didn’t really have much luck. I set up an account at www.coabode.org, which is a resource that allows single parents to connect and either offer space in their homes or find a home to live in along with another single mom (or dad). It can also be used as a networking resource to simply find single parent friends in your area. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t appear to be very active. Check it out, maybe we could help make it a more successful resource for single parents.
Lately, the strain of single parenting has been great. I don’t have a huge support system and often feel very alone. Having a single parent ally would be such a comfort. I’d feel less isolated and have a built in support system, while my children would have other kids around who can relate to their situation. I’m alone with my children a lot and having another adult in the house would be so nice.
This is definitely not something I’d jump into lightly. There are kids involved so there needs be a well thought out plan in order to make such an arrangement successful. It’s something I’m open to and if I had a close single mom friend I’d give the idea serious consideration.
I have yet to find a very close single mom friend in real life. Obviously I’ve found TONS online, but considering I live next door to a real mess of a single mom right now, I don’t know how I would feel about moving in with someone.
Theoretically, I would LOVE to live a Kate & Allie life. I wonder if that can exist?
Hanna: It sounds perfect in theory, doesn’t it? The reality is quite a bit more complicated and an ideal situation would be hard to come by. At this point I’d happily settle for a close single mom friend IRL.
I used to LOVE that show! Funny, I’ve been a single mom so long, I’ve almost never known the feeling of not being one. It has been what…..just shy of 8 years! Anyways, I used to think about that too, I actually had an opportunity once, but our outlooks on raising children were far too different…..to the EXTREME…it just wouldn’t have worked. Maybe if parenting styles were similar, but there are just far too many variables in real life…
Gosh, I LOVED this show. I could never figure out when it was on though, and never really watched it much.
If I could have a roommate that actually PAID rent right now, that would be awesome…