I knew a woman who, as a young single mother, took a job as an exotic dancer to make sure the bills got paid. The bills did get paid, and the lights stayed on, and the car was almost always running to get the kid first to day care and then to school, and there was always decent food on the table. The woman’s child grew up healthy and sensible and well-adjusted; now grown and married, the child is as capable and headstrong as the mother.
I know another woman who went the same route to ensure that her child never went hungry. She and her youngster have a supportive circle of friends and loved ones as devoted as any blood family could ever hope to be.
I’ve got a friend, a smart friend whose brains often couldn’t seem to keep him out of trouble when he was younger; he’s got an impressive arrest record and an even more impressive backlog of brawler’s tales. He’s also got a wonderful wife, and a little one so imaginative and intelligent it’s terrifying.