In the short 9.5 months since my daughter was brought into the world, I’ve learned that people pity her for what she came into. They pity that she has no visible father, that she is in a single parent home–basically that she “lacks” in some way. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that being a single parent isn’t easy (believe me, I live it every day), but there isn’t anything wrong with it. When people hear “single parent”, they often stereotype and think of a woman in particular, typically who has multiple children, lives in poverty in a run down apartment, is unsuccessful, etc. They think of a child who does poorly in school, who isn’t well taken care of, and is basically not well provided for. Being in a single parent home doesn’t necessarily mean we are struggling, that my child isn’t being fed, or that I’m out looking for a replacement for my baby’s father. Any one of these things could be true or false about me or any other single parent you see.