It wasn't part of her life plan to raise a child alone, but that's the way motherhood worked out for Brenda Curran.
The pathway of this doting Melbourne mother to Zain, aged four, reflects the position of more than 480,000 families nationally. That's the number of lone-parent households in Australia with children under 15.
Overwhelmingly, these families are headed by women, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Yet too often, mothers who have to raise children alone struggle when looking for community support. Ms Curran, for example, says her greatest succour outside her extended family in Mildura is the internet. "I Googled to find help," she said.
In a bid to short-circuit the lack of information about support services, a 45-page booklet, Single Mothers: A Resource Guide for Parenting Solo, has been launched in Victoria.
As well as listing addresses and phone numbers, the State Government-funded guide contains sub-chapters on talking to children about "tough stuff", how to maintain a child's relationship with his or her dad and even affirming life stories of mothers' experiences.
"People in the community make certain assumptions about single mothers... we need to realise it's a very common situation," says Minister for Children Maxine Morand.
Ms Curran, 38, lives this reality in her modest two-bedroom rented flat in the northern suburbs.
While she works full time in a semi-professional role in the conservation movement and takes home a monthly salary of $3000, supplemented by Federal Government childcare and family payments, getting by is still a financial struggle.
"The luxury of going to a movie or getting in a babysitter after hours, I don't have that," she says.
"'Being a single mother is a 24/7 role but, you know what, resilience gets me through."
- Copies of the booklet are available online at www.education.vic.gov.au/parents
Tips for mothers
Dealing with ex-partners
- If it's hard to talk, try using SMS, email or a shared journal (a diary or a book that travels between houses).
The tough questions
- Keep it simple ... complicated explanations and details can confuse young children.
- Be prepared to answer questions several times — children often keep thinking about an issue.
Mothers and children
- Smile, laugh and hug your children as often as you can, making lots of eye contact.
Source: Single Mothers: A Resource for Parenting Solo
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