TheGrio Host Eboni K. Williams Shares Her Personal Journey to Becoming a Single Mom by Choice

Being a parent is one among the toughest jobs on this planet. So why do some women resolve to do it alone? An increasingly popular trend amongst some women is to select motherhood alone, taking up all of the responsibilities, each mental, emotional and financial.

Single motherhood continues to be considered taboo by many, and plenty of in our community look down on women raising children alone. That hasn’t stopped a growing number of ladies from selecting this path. The journey can look different for each woman. In this latest and candid limited series, Choosing Motherhood with Eboni K. Williams, host theGrio and journalist Nicole Ellis discuss their individual decisions about single motherhood and all that comes with it. Topics include defining single motherhood, freezing eggs, selecting a donor, the financial costs, concerns, and coping with criticism from social stigmas.

According to Annie E. Casey Foundationwhose work focuses on strengthening families, constructing stronger communities and access to opportunity, greater than 23 million children live in single-parent families. That’s about 1 in 3 children in America. More specifically, 14.3 million children live in single-parent families, 3.5 million in single-parent families, and greater than 6 million children live with cohabiting parents. More than 63% of black children live in single-parent families.

In the previous episode of “theGrio with Eboni K. Williams,” the host spoke with Aisha Jenkins, one among the co-founders Mocha SMC (single mother by selection). It’s a community of ladies who’ve opened up a space for Black women to discuss their atypical path to motherhood. During the episode, Williams asked Jenkins about raising children in a two-parent family. “I don’t listen to the naysayers,” Jenkins said. “I live my life on my own terms, with as few regrets as possible. To me, a single mother by choice family is one that is full of love. We come to this path, many of us, out of love. We deeply desire to have these children.”

In this primary episode, Williams and Ellis explore what single motherhood means to them and the way their very own experiences as single moms define their journey. What are your thoughts on women who select to parent alone? Share your thoughts on theGrio.com or on our social media pages.

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