Q and A with Clare and Morgan

Why did you two single moms start iHeartSingleParents.com?

Well, simply put, the zeitgeist called for it!  It came out of our personal need to meet like-minded single parents and have  place of our own to get support and have fun...There are huge social networking sites out there, and there are dating sites–even some smaller single parent themed ones too…but none of these were the type of connections we were looking for. We wanted an authentic community where we could meet other single moms and single dads who were cool…who we resonated with, could learn from, be inspired by, and/or just share a laugh with. Not necessarily dating related, nor anti-romance….just a real community of people who shared the single parent lifestyle and who were striving for the same thing we were: finding balance and happiness in being a parent and being an unattached grown-up, (and enjoying a ego-boosting flirt every now and then too).

How did it all begin?

We were in the midst of sharing our attitudes about life and the challenges of single motherhood. Despite our shared struggles with finances and living at home, all of a sudden we were both feeling on top of the world. Nothing in our physical situation had changed, but the world was very different– we didn’t feel alone anymore!

You know that feeling you get when you are around someone who always sees the best in you and believes in you so much you think you could fly if you just put your mind to it? Well, that energy was there and we began talking about how we wished more single parents could feel empowered like we did in that moment. Sharing our experiences enabled us to laugh, feel a little lighter, and remember that even though we didn’t fit the cookie-cutter family model, we still had the power to be happy. Most importantly the support we had from each other emboldened us to take on ‘being creators of our own universe’ and attempt a shift in the single parent paradigm that was more positive and empowering for all. We wanted to create a social network with this vibe and even though neither of us had the background nor the pedigree to know how to do it, we knew we just would, because heck! we believed in it! We knew in ourselves it was time to let go of single parent stigma and shame…and perhaps other single moms and single dads had been feeling that too, and would be inspired to join us!