Child's feelings about only having a mother

jks12345jks12345 Posts: 4
in Single Mothers by Choice

Hi -

I am a 40 yr old female who is tired of wanting for the right man to come along. I've always wanted to be a mother and now i am considering using donor sperm. I am having trouble wrapping my head around intentional bringing a child into this world who won't have a father.

Are there single mother's out there that now have slightly old children via donor sperm? How does the child feel? Are they angry or sad about not having a father?

Does anyone know if there are any resources out there on this topic? support groups, readings, other boards?

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  • SM_Bay78SM_Bay78 Posts: 21
    edited October 9, 2018 5:26AM

    Thanks for posting this question. I’m 39 and just did my second round of IUI and tested positive this week. All those confusing feelings about the “father” came back and I still don’t have an answer other than to share that the child was created out of love, purpose, and will be treasured each day.

    I hope someone with a similar experience to us posts a response.

    I’d love to hear from someone with a 4-6 yr old who may be asking questions.

    You’re not alone @jks12345.

  • PinkedPinked Posts: 4

    I'm 42 and thinking about being a single mother. I wonder about how my child will feel as well. I really hope other people reply. I have and know several people that come from a single parent family and they seemed okay. but feedback and experiences from others would be appreciated.
    thank you :)

  • orchid123orchid123 Posts: 7

    I'm wondering the same thing. My son will be turning 3 soon and he knows about their being mommy, daddy, baby brother and sister from watching nursery rhymes and books. He pointed at a daddy in a book the other day and looked at me kinda like where is he??? but couldn't quite ask me yet. He is going to ask me soon and I don't know what to tell him. My heart kinda breaks seeing that but he is loved dearly by his mommy and grandparents has a younger brother and sister. Help! I still don't know how I'm going to tell him.

    I can say he's just not here right no w. I'm hoping i can find a good guy down the road that will act as a father figure. I don't regret anything but am just sad about it for him.

  • cryo-admincryo-admin Posts: 4,547

    Hi Ladies,

    I'm not sure if you're familiar with the organization Choice Moms, but it's a great resource for single women who are pursuing parenthood. I've worked with the founder, Mikki Morisette, who created her organization to provide a supportive community and educational resources for women choosing to start families on their own.

    She has a whole section on her website dedicated to talking to your child about donor conception: http://www.choicemoms.org/category/telling-and-talking/

    Over the years, we've also compiled a list of books that clients have recommended regarding donor insemination. There are some books on this list that are geared to talking to your child about how they were conceived: https://cryobank.com/learning-center/bookstore-listings/

    We also have a secret Facebook group that you can join that includes women just starting the process, as well as moms with children: https://www.facebook.com/groups/212709342087079/

    I hope this helps!

    Regards,

    Nicole
    California Cryobank

  • snglmombychoiceover40snglmombychoiceover40 Posts: 2

    I tried to follow the link to the Facebook group but it stated unavailable. Do you have another link?

  • OurAdventureOurAdventure Posts: 97

    A podcast I listen to, If These Ovaries Could Talk, did an episode this week with a SMBC who talks about the experiences she's had and the questions her son's asked about his "Dad", it may be of help to you! https://www.ovariestalk.com/ the episode is called "Why don't I have a dad?"

  • cryo-admincryo-admin Posts: 4,547

    @snglmombychoiceover40

    I'm sorry that the link didn't work. I know that in the past you had to friend an admin of the group on FB and then we can send you an invite. I thought it might have been updated so that you could click on the link and request an invite.

    My FB name is Nicole Marie and you may be able to find me by my email: nicole@cryobank.com (I use the same avatar on FB that I use on this Bulletin Board.)

    Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions.

    Sincerely,
    Nicole

    California Cryobank

  • DriftlessBakerDriftlessBaker Posts: 5

    33yo SMBC getting ready to start IUI in the next year or so - YES! This was on my mind so much as I came to this parenthood choice. It was really important to me to choose an open ID donor for exactly this reason; and also to make contact with other moms who have used the same donor to feel out if they are open to half-siblings having relationships and contact with each other. Not a perfect solution, but at least gives future kiddos transparency and some grounding in the other half of their identity, even if "Dad" is not in the house. Best wishes! ❤

  • Auntof6Auntof6 Posts: 3

    I am a single 37 year old who started the process. The doctor found polyps in my uterus so I am having them
    Removed than hopefully in January I will have my first IUI. I often think am I being selfish by wanting to bring a baby into the world without a father? But then I think I have an amazingly supportive family. And the love that I have to give to my child takes away any worry of my child missing out on not having two parents. And the fact that we single woman are taking this journey to conceive shows that we have a love like no other for the children we have. Because this is a tough journey!

  • Firefly419Firefly419 Posts: 35

    There is a children's book called "For Mommy So Loved You:IVF Conception" by Leigh James you can get it on Amazon. Might be a good book to read to your little ones about single moms and babies conceived via IVF or IUI.

  • Kween7777Kween7777 Posts: 3

    My now 3 year-old twins have asked (I assume because they see other kids' dads at daycare) and I've simply told them that they don't have one but they have a loving grandmother living with them, which other kids don't have and a close extended family. I also try to expose them to age appropriate TV shows that show different types of families. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is one of their favorite and it shows different kinds of family units, which I try to point out. Also, I try to keep the answers as simple as possible: before them being born, I drove myself crazy thinking about what my answer would be when they finally would ask. In the end, I had to calm myself down and realize that at 3, they're not looking for the deep comprehension of how they came to be, they're just pointing out their observations.

  • Faith4BabyFaith4Baby Posts: 32

    Thank you! I never found mister right so at 40 I decided to have a baby on my own. I’ve often wondered if my child will resent me for bringing them into the world without a father. Reading this made me feel better about my decision.

  • JaniwantsababyJaniwantsababy Posts: 3

    It gave my mother and I a bond like no other. If I had the option I would still chose to have only her

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