I'm a 26 year old single mother of one and I live with my parents. Why? The short answer is that I'm very lucky to be able to choose a living arrangement that is absolutely the best option for myself and for Harrison, for many reasons. The long answer? Grab a cup of tea, it's a long one.
Originally the plan was to temporarily live with my parents while I found a place after my relationship broke up. Two days after moving in with ma and pa I discovered that I wasn't the only one that had moved back to the family home! I was about six weeks pregnant. It was a total shock.

After some serious soul searching and many, many teary conversations with my mum I decided to keep my baby and, with the full support of my parents, continue to live at home.

I'll admit I'm still a little bit embarrassed about living with my parents in my mid-twenties, even though it's clearly the best decision for me. I feel like I have it super easy compared to other single parents, like I'm not a 'real' single parent. The thing is though, the choice to live with my parents is undoubtedly the best option for Harrison (and me!).


While I do pay to live at home, I could never afford to rent a house similar in size and location to my family home by myself and I'm not comfortable with living with roommates while Harrison is so young. The benefits go beyond living in a better house. I can't put a value on the support Harrison and I both get from living with my family. My mental health, and therefore my ability to parent, undoubtedly benefits from the support of my family. H has an attentive mum who isn't juggling ALL of the housework, a full-time job, commuting and his day-to-day routine all by herself. There's always someone around to offer cuddles when a knee gets bumped, or to grab and unwrap a snack on request.


Growing up in an adult-dominated household means Harrison is constantly surrounded by conversation, more so than if he was in a regular single or two-parent household. It means his language abilities are noticeably advanced for his age and he gets to connect and communicate with a range of different people.

It isn't all plain sailing and happy families all the time though. I think what makes it a lot easier for everyone is that my parents are...well...cool parents. Between them they've amassed a pretty colourful set of life experiences and not a lot shocks them really. Not even their eldest daughter moving back in and then discovering she's pregnant.

Okay, maybe that shocked them a little bit.


Most of the tension comes from mum and dad not always agreeing with my parenting choices. It's really difficult to feel confident with trying out your parenting theories and 'learning on the job' when you have two experts watching your every move. For the most part, they respect that I am Harrison's parent and I get to make the decisions.



One of the things I was a little worried about at first was Harrison not understanding that I'm his mum. Everyone in the house contributed to his care in some way and I was worried that he would call my mum 'mum' because everyone else does. I was especially worried about it when I went back to work and my mum cared for him more than I did. This seems really silly now!


Harrison does occasionally call my mum 'ma', but it's a lazy shortening of 'grandma'. The way he calls me 'mum' or 'mamaaaaa' is so specific and distinct that I can tell when he's talking to me. When he was a younger baby he would go to anyone when he was upset, but now that he's a toddler and realises he can make a choice, he will refuse other family members and request me. Honestly, I couldn't care less if he called someone else 'mum' now - it might give me a nice break! Our bond is incredibly strong and he is very attached to me. He very much understands that I am his mum. I really had nothing to worry about.

I'm truly grateful for all that my parents have done, and continue to do for us. They have such a special, close relationship with Harrison and I know it's something they treasure, even if it isn't always easy.