In the midst of two quiet but relentless battles, I picked myself up and kept moving forward. Even when I felt exhausted, I was determined to bring my son back to the safe, familiar world he had always known. No matter the odds, I believed he deserved stability, comfort, and a sense of home. I made a plan. I would buy a small place in our hometown. It meant holding on a little longer at my job, pushing through exhaustion and uncertainty because we needed my income to qualify.

I told myself. Take the job, put your head down, and work like hell. So I did. I cut out the noise, distanced myself from old friends,...

The boxes were everywhere. Piled against the far wall of my mother’s family room, stacked high with the remnants of my old life—what...

The past few years have been tough for everyone, but for single mothers, the aftermath of COVID-19 has been especially difficult. It's...