Dear Single Mothers,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits as we send our children back to school for the academic year 2024. As a single mother, I understand the joys and challenges that come with raising our children independently.

We carry the enormous responsibility of nurturing, supporting, and providing for our children, something we do with unwavering love and dedication. However, I realize that doing it alone can be overwhelming at times, and I believe that strengthening partnerships with our children’s fathers will benefit us all.

It is no secret that co-parenting can be a complex road to navigate, especially when faced with the difficulties that led to single parenting. Nevertheless, I am writing to encourage us to consider the prospect of working collaboratively with our children’s fathers to raise our children without feeling like we are in constant opposition.

Here are some ways that we can work together with our children’s fathers to create a positive environment for our children.

Single mothers, when you establish an open line of communication with your child’s father, which is frequent and respectful communication, it will facilitate a healthy co-parenting relationship and ensure that both parents are involved in the child’s life. When interacting with the child’s father, prioritize the well-being and happiness of your child. Recognize that healthy co-parenting positively impacts your child’s emotional and psychological development.

When possible, share care-giving responsibilities, medical appointments, and education involvement to provide a balanced upbringing for your child, so the child is not affected by the absence of either parent.

Embracing the importance of conflict resolution and compromise helps you acknowledge that disagreements may arise, but finding common ground and working together will demonstrate positive conflict resolution skills to your child. It is not good for you to drag your child’s father to court. Working and reaching a resolution between the two of you is healthier than washing your dirty linen in public.

It is important to familiarize yourself with legal provisions that affirm your rights and the rights of your child. Moreover, respect the legal rights of the father and establish co-parenting arrangements that benefit the child.

Your child needs to get to know and interact with his or her father to create a bond, which will help them look at life in a positive way rather than dwelling on being raised by a single mother. If single motherhood is wearing you down, seek support from community organizations, support groups, or counseling services like the Single parents Association of Uganda (SPAU), the Dora Single Mothers Foundation (DSMF) and others that advocate for the well-being of single parents and offer guidance on co-parenting and family dynamics.

As single mothers, we have a tremendous capacity to foster an environment that nurtures our children’s physical, emotional, and social development. By working with our children’s fathers, we create a stable and supportive upbringing for our children, fostering a sense of security and connection.

Dear Single Mothers, let us join hands and strive for harmonious co-parenting with our children’s best interests at the forefront. Together, we can break the barriers that sometimes lead us to pull ropes and create a unified front that revolves around the well-being of our children.

Warm regards,

Grace Musiimenta, a single mother