Advertisement
Christmas Special - Get your first 12 issues for just £12
SUBSCRIBE
Opinion

I'm a single mum living in poverty. Worrying about how it affects my children keeps me up at night

Lauren, a single mum, shares her family's experience of living in poverty and calls for the government to act to protect children

child poverty/ child and mum

The warmer weather helps because it means cheaper days out for families. Image: Unsplash

A record high 4.3 million children were in poverty in the year to April 2023. As a lone parent, unable to work for five years due to a chronic illness, my children have been forced to be part of this statistic. 

As I walked through the park with my 13-year-old son, who is on school holidays this week (thank goodness for better weather which means free days out), I asked how poverty has affected him growing up.

He told me it’s no big deal. He just misses out on the latest games and trainers and expensive trampoline parties. No big deal. Those are things kids can do without.

But then he said: “It’s more about being treated differently by my classmates. They make fun of me sometimes.” My 17-year-old daughter agrees and tells me that shopping with her friends was awful. She felt so different. 

It’s hard to feel different as a child but, as a mum, my worries about how poverty affects my children are constant. The schools put enormous pressure on parents, it’s a never ending list which includes school trips, fundraising raffles and dress-up days such as world book day.

Approved uniform is essential and my son is on his third pair of shoes this year thanks to a growth spurt. All schoolwork is online, so that’s reliable internet and laptops needed. Many children are experiencing data poverty and fall behind at school as a result. 

Advertisement
Advertisement

My main cause of sleepless nights and grey hair has been the cost of living crisis. Worrying about cold weather snaps: how much heating I dare put on for the kids in the evening. During the day, I can’t move for thick jumpers or huddling under my blankets on the sofa.



My once fairly-enjoyable trips to the supermarket have now become a stressful worrying experience where I pick up items and put them down several times asking myself if I really need it – or if I can really afford it. There are no treats and no extras in my basket, just the bare minimum I can get away with and yet still the bill is more than I can afford.

Recently I became aware of a food pantry that has been a godsend. I can get some discounted food and it’s a place of no judgement. Without organisations such as food banks and charities so many parents would not be able to feed their children. Cases of ‘Victorian diseases’ such as scurvy and malnutrition are on the rise, sad news for a modern UK in 2024. 

My apologies if I’ve painted a very dark picture of what it’s like to grow up in poverty. These are the harsh realities. However children can still grow up well with values and morals and with every scrap of love that I can give them. That part is for free and it’s constant. 

However, what we need is some long term, sustainable solutions from the government. 

Perhaps a cap on how much landlords can raise rent? Or more affordable housing? Or more help for families to be able to get on the property ladder rather than pay extortionate rents? And what about being able to get help or on a waiting list before you  are officially made homeless? 

How about an end to school uniforms? Or at least assistance to buy them? At the moment this is discretionary to the school. 

There should be regulation and investigation into enormous profits made by energy companies. How have they made billions in profit in this energy crisis? There should be more assistance with heating bills, such as a reduced bill if you have medical conditions or have young children and are in poverty. 

These suggestions are just some steps the government can and must take to ensure that no children grow up in poverty.

Lauren takes part in the Changing Realities project, working with over 100 parents and carers across the UK and the University of York to document life on a low-income and push for change.

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

View all
PIP is a lifeline for me as a disabled person. Here's a great way to claim for the DWP benefit
alicia cartwright
Alicia Cartwright

PIP is a lifeline for me as a disabled person. Here's a great way to claim for the DWP benefit

'We are breaking barriers': People facing mental health crisis need safe spaces and community
mental health
Jo Armstrong

'We are breaking barriers': People facing mental health crisis need safe spaces and community

We run free football sessions for kids – but the impact of our work goes well beyond the pitch
sportsfun4all
Kieran Connolly

We run free football sessions for kids – but the impact of our work goes well beyond the pitch

'Turning trauma into triumph': This is the truth about growing up Black in the care system
judith denton and rick flo
Ric Flo and Judith Denton

'Turning trauma into triumph': This is the truth about growing up Black in the care system

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know