Being a single parent is not easy, especially after losing a significant other. And while no one can ever replace them, a close friend or a family member can become a significant figure in the child’s life.

A widower and a single dad to three girls, redditor ‘Humble-Piccolo9513’, was happy that they had their grandmothers and aunts as strong female role models. But he was seemingly not looking to add any more women to the list, despite one trying quite hard to become a “mother figure”.

No one can ever replace a parent, but some loving people can be great parental figures

Image credits: halfpoint/Envato elements (not the actual photo)

This dad was happy with the female role models his daughters had and was not looking for a “mother figure”

Image credits: Image-Source/ Envato elements (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Humble-Piccolo9513

The number of single dad households has been on the rise for decades now

Image credits: Tatiana Syrikova/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Nowadays one parent holding down the fort is not a rare scenario. In the US, for instance, for one reason or another, roughly one-in-four children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adult, Pew Research Center reports. That puts the States on the top of the list of countries with the highest rate of children living in single-parent households.

According to Pew Research Center, the share of kids living in a single-parent household in the US has been on the rise for decades; the same trend can be seen with the number of homes run by single dads. Statista revealed that while there were roughly 3 million families with a male householder and no spouse present back in 1992, the number grew to over 7 million in 2022.

It’s important for kids raised by single dads to have a female role model, too

Image credits: August de Richelieu/Pexels (not the actual photo)

While single dads themselves are often excellent role models for their children, other people they love—such as grandparents or close family friends—can be, too. In the OP’s case, it was the grandmothers and the aunts who became female role models for his daughters and took on the role of mother figure.

As was pointed out on Marriage.com, “Without a female role model, daughters raised by single fathers might struggle to navigate the emotional nuances typically associated with maternal figures.”

Moreover, without such a role model, daughters may find it challenging to relate to other women or understand certain aspects of female camaraderie and support systems, in addition to finding it difficult to express traditionally feminine emotions.

This goes to show that members of a single-parent household tend to face a unique set of challenges, one of which, according to the American Psychological Association, is “problems caused by the parents’ dating and entering new relationships”. Luckily, the OP felt right away that his cousin’s friend was trouble; not only that, he wasn’t looking for a partner altogether, which was all the more reason for him to make sure that Amy stays away from his girls instead of trying to become a “mother figure”.

Fellow redditor shared their thoughts in the comments, the OP replied to some of them

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