Looking for a Great Role Model
No one can prepare you for the challenges of being a single mother. Everywhere women are complaining about the difficulty of raising kids and the demands of being a mother, but many of them have at least some help in the form of a husband or boyfriend. Some even have exes that actually take parenting seriously. At least being a single mother doesn't hold the stigma it once did thanks to the deluge of successful celebrity moms showing us all how we can manage our careers, and still have time for our bubs. If you are looking for a great role model as a single mother, you need only turn on the TV or flip through just about any woman's magazine.
Celebrity, Movie and Public Figure Role Models
In the past, being a single mom had all sorts of negative connotations, such as living in poverty, teen pregnancy and messy divorces. It has only been in the last few decades that the social stigmas attached to being a single mom have finally lifted, and successful single moms are now being celebrated for their achievements, both at work and in the home. The media attention on famous single moms has gone a long way to showcasing a range of subperb single mom role models, proving to us all that even the busiest woman can take time out to raise her kids.
Celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Reese Witherspoon have been some of the dozens of divorced parents in the news who are now career-driven single moms. They're often seen doing daily tasks with their children as well, such as school pick-ups and weekend shopping. Long-time single mothers such as Sharon Stone and Teri Hatcher have proven their ability to juggle home and career beyond a doubt. They enjoy close relationships with their children and simultaneously carve out spectacular careers in the film and TV industries. Other single mom celebrities, such as Kate Hudson and Madonna, have kept up amicable relationships with their estranged spouses for the sake of their children, setting an example for the public as to what is achievable.
Some celebrities have made it perfectly clear that ex-spouses are simply not an option, such as Halle Berry. She has spoken openly about her destructive relationship and how she is proud to raise her child away from such a damaging environment. This shows women that yes, you can be strong enough to leave and do it on your own. Other celebrities, such as Sheryl Crow and more recently Sandra Bullock, have split from their partners and then subsequently adopted a child, proving that there is no need to have a man involved to be a fulfilled mother.
Outside of the Hollywood circuit, one of the most successful single moms in the world is JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. She credits her supportive family and friends for helping her through the tough times while she worked hard on laying out the plot of the Harry Potter series. She is now a sponsor and advocate for the National Council for One Parent Families, which strives to break the negative image associated with single parents.
Well known single mom Katie Couric is also a fantastic role model, becoming an incredibly successful and renowned journalist, and also becoming the first solo anchorwoman for an evening news program. Her husband and sister both died of cancer, and she has become a spokeswoman for several cancer awareness groups. Her status as the ultimate single mom success story is widely celebrated.
These hard-working moms have all proven that career and motherhood can and do mix, and with the right amount of support, single mothers everywhere can unite in the knowledge that success in the home and the workplace is absolutely achievable.
