Being a single parent can be tough at the best of time.
Well now there’s some positive news for the single parents of Australia. Two Melbourne
women have developed a simple way for single parents to come together and share their
resources in a bid to minimise the daily pressures that they face.
Their brainchild is shareparents.com.au, a website designed to give single mums and dads
an attractive alternative to solo parenting. Shareparents is an online resource that helps
single mums and dads halve their financial burdens by sharing accommodation, babysitting
duties & ongoing utility bills. With the support and assistance of another single parent in the
house, single parents suddenly have more money, more freedom and better facilities on
offer for both families.
Shareparents co-creator, Lauren Doolan said the idea came from seeing friends and family
struggling as single parents. It was only when we all came together for a group picnic or
barbeque that we saw them relax as each of us lent a hand with the kids or the cleaning up.
It was obvious that there must be thousands of other single parents in the same boat. We
thought how much better things would be for them if they could join forces with someone in
a similar situation and tackle the tough times together.
The Shareparents website makes this idea of shared responsibility possible by providing a
place where single parents can contact each other with the intention of pooling their resources.
“Parents coping alone will find many different reasons for using the site. Some may want
financial assistance with their mortgage by renting out rooms while others may want to
create a dual income to help pay for groceries, gas and electricity. Or they may just want the
company, support and assistance of another person who understands what they are going
through”, said shareparents co-creator, Wendy Lilley.
shareparents.com.au is a very user-friendly site and members will have no trouble finding
their perfect single parent match. Upon entering a profile they’ll receive a list of compatible
parenting companions, each one given a rating out of five stars. The rating is determined
by a number of compatibility factors such as location, age of children and level of income.
The most suitable matches are listed first so members don’t have to wade through lists and
lists of unsuitable possibilities.
Shareparents is open to all single parents – mums, dads, even part-time parents.
The service will be free of charge for new members for their first month (until the end of May).
If you would like any further information on shareparents contact:
Email: [email protected]
Lauren Doolan, shareparents.com.au
