So, this isn't at all what you had in mind, or where you thought you'd end up... as a single parent, raising kids on your own. Battling the inevitable day to day grind, making tough decisions while making dinner. Helping with homework, shoelaces and Book Week costumes, while trying to work for money and maybe even have a social life.

It can be tough, lonely and overwhelming at times. But it can also be the best thing that's ever happened to you - for you and the kids. What if you saw your circumstances as an opportunity for new beginnings, and a call to step up in ways you never thought possible?

In The Single Mother's Social Club, columnist and newsreader Jacinta Tynan interviews experts and other solo parents to share the best advice for thriving when you have to manage parenting on your own, along with her own experiences of making it as a single mum. You can look back and lament. Or you can join the club.