When you're a single parent, ...

When you're a single parent, you're often lonely, yet seldom alone. There is no backup ... It is mothering without a net.
 Amy Dickinson

Quotes from the same author

The ability to break a loved one's heart is the essential contradiction in human relationships.
 Amy Dickinson
Absence really can make the heart grow fonder, even when the [man's] feet wander.
 Amy Dickinson
If you turn the heat down on the relationship, she will soften, the tension will lessen, and she will eventually inch closer to you. Don't go in for the hug until you achieve a handshake.
 Amy Dickinson
Bullies never want to acknowledge their own actions. They want to move through life without reflection or apology.
 Amy Dickinson
People don't change when they don't acknowledge their actions.
 Amy Dickinson