...Even on the temporary (which is the case for me), is INCREDIBLY hard!
Every spouse who stays at home with their children while their Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine is deployed for a year or more, every mom or dad who has to go it alone for one reason or another, I salute you! After walking a mile in those shoes after a mere 3 months of it, I realize that single parents have the hardest job of anyone.
They also have great time management skills, can multitask like nobody's business, and probably live on like 18 minutes of sleep a night.
To all you single moms and dads out there (whether by marital status or geographical location), YOU ROCK.