I became a single mom and needed to rent a house in one of the most expensive zip codes in the US. My parents moved in to help.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Vanessa Gordon and family sitting a couch in the living room
Vanessa Gordon lives under one roof with her multigenerational family in East Hampton, an expensive neighborhood in New York.

Jeremy Garretson for BI

This essay is part of The New American Home, a series that examines multigenerational houses.

I moved my kids across Asia for years. After my divorce, I returned 'home' as a single mom.

Tech Insider : Business
A woman in glasses posing in front of a print on the way.
Roberta Maretti returned home after raising her two kids abroad.

Provided by Roberta Maretti

I took a risk moving to Phuket as a single mom. It paid off.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Cheska Hull posing in a blue dress in Phuket, Thailand.
Cheska Hull decided to call off her wedding and move to Phuket, Thailand with her son.

Provided by Cheska Hull

A single mom moved to Thailand with her daughter. She says the slower life brought them closer than ever.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
A woman and her daughter posing in front of a sign of Chatuchak market in Bangkok.
Donetta Barber and her daughter, Maleah, moved to Bangkok earlier this year.

Donetta Barber

I'm a single mom and thought my kid-free trip to Milan was selfish. It turned out to be a great parenting decision.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Barbara Pazur took a three-day trip to Milan with her friend.
A three-day trip to Milan helped Barbara Pazur's daughter reconnect with her father.

Provided by Barbara Pazur

I stopped waiting for 'the one' and became a single mom at 38. I only wish I'd done it sooner.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy
Mom and her son hold a ball
Shivani Singh works as a legal professional in Sydney.

Akshay Sammi

I haven't kissed anyone in 6 years. It's not because I gave up on love.

Tech Insider : Business
Olivia Howell is sitting in a chair using a laptop.
It's been six years since Olivia Howell left her husband, and she hasn't kissed anyone since.

Provided by Olivia Howell

I quit my job and moved back in with my parents. I sleep in a blow-up bed in the kitchen so my teen can have a room of her own.

Tech Insider : Business
Woman sleeping on kitchen
Laura Kerr moved in with her parents and set up a bed in their kitchen

Courtesy of Laura Kerr

Reese Witherspoon, 49, says she's 'exhausted' parenting her third, but raising 2 older kids showed her what not to stress over

Tech Insider : Business
Reese Witherspoon.
Reese Witherspoon says her experience with her older children has shaped how she approaches parenting her youngest.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Charlize Theron says being a single mom was 'one of the healthiest decisions' she ever made

Tech Insider : Business
Charlize Theron.
Charlize Theron says being a single mom works for her.

Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

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