Tough question

i, too, am a single mom and i say we only have a mommy in our family, ususally kids take that and don't really ask anymore questions. i plan on teaching my son to say the same thing as he gets older and may have kids ask him the same question.

Yikes! I'm adopting as a single woman and never thought about having that come up. I like your response McKenna, I'm gonna use it.

I'm a single adoptive mom also, I also just say that we don't have a dad in our family. I've only had this come up once with kids. But I did have a elderly woman say to me "I noticed you aren't wearing a ring" I just told her " no, I'm single" and left it at that.

Mckenna that is a great response I will have to remember that. I think I was just caught so off guard and I had really not thought about how to answer, especially to a child. It seems we become so comfortable within our own circle of friends and family you just assume everyone knows that you are a single mom and then you are reminded of the outer circle and the big world out there. I am glad I was faced with this now and that my son is still young so he didn't see me so dumb founded. I will be ready the next time we are faced with that question. Thanks to all

I am a single parent to two boys. When I am faced with a similiar situation, I consider the age of the child asking the question. Most kids between the ages of 4 and 6 begin to realize that other families don't look the same way as their own. Within our social circle are traditional families, blended families, single parent (by choice, divorce or death of spouse) as well as a same-sex couple. So for a younger child, I usually answer, "We don't have a daddy in our house, just a mommy." For older children, I explain that "each family is different and the boys only have a mother living with them." Recently, my 4yo has been asking about "getting a daddy." While he doesn't ask specifically about his father, it's evident that he has begun to observe the differences in families.