I can still remember the way my heart plummeted to my feet as my former spouse pushed the detonator on the life I had as a homeschooling mother and the plans we made for our future together. My battle to piece back those shattered remains and preserve our marriage whittled 25 pounds from my frame and left me wrestling with trauma and battered self-esteem, not the most inspirational companions when our marriage disintegrated at the end of 2022 and I was left to fend for myself and my two children.

Endless data told me about the devastation awaiting me. Around 83% of single-parent families are headed by women. Over 31% of single mothers experience poverty, and 45.4% receive food stamps. In many conservative circles, it seemed that single parents were regarded with pity or contempt, as if they personally set out to defraud society of economic potential and strip traditional marriage of its value.