The concept of the typical American family has drastically changed throughout the years. It’s not the picture-perfect mom and dad and kids. Seeing parents that are married can sometimes be uncommon. Myself included, there are many kids who have been raised by a single parent. Although there are hardships that come along with it, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

1. You have a go-to role model

Raising a child by yourself is never easy. But they do it with strength and never give up. Raising a child by themselves reflects their courage, intelligence...the list could go on forever. I know that my mom is all I could aspire to be. I wouldn’t be who I am today without her.

2. You have more of a sense of independence

Watching my mom raise me without help from a significant other has shown me that it’s not necessary to rely on others all the time, and that I’m capable of handling a lot of things on my own.

3. There's probably less arguments

We don’t have to deal with the typical parent arguments that a mom and dad may have. Although we have our own with our parent and possibly a sibling, it’s one less thing we don’t have to stress about.

4. You've become more grateful

The difficult times that a family with a single parent endure have made you more appreciative of the people and things that are in your life. For myself, I'm most grateful for my grandparents being there for me and helping out my mom and me.

5. They're both your parent and your best friend

You can go to them about anything, always have advice on hand, and you're never lacking someone to hangout with. Growing up with my mom as my only parent, it’s not unusual that we’re closer than most mother-daughter relationships. A child with married parents could also relate to this, but there's always a special bond between a child and a single parent that's indescribable... even for an Odyssey article.