I’m a single parent to three boys/young men. My ex husband, their father, cut ties with our sons 5 months after we separated. It’s now been over 5 years. I was a stay at home mum, so I had to work 2 jobs to keep all the wheels turning. My youngest son has autism, and was 8 when this all happened. All three boys struggled with depression and abandonment for at least 12 months. I realise I’ve not stopped these last 5 years, I work and come home and be mum. I’ve realised how isolated I now am and feel incredibly lonely. I know I’ve done a good job raising my sons on my own, and I can recognise that, but now I’m being hit with feelings of guilt. I’ve missed 5 years of their lives, because I worked 50+ hours a week. My youngest is almost 14 now. I wax diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ptsd during the last year of my marriage. I struggle to make friends now, because I don’t feel like I have anything to offer, let alone dating.
Am I alone in feeling this loneliness, or is this common amongst single parents with no contact from the other parent?
