Parenting alone, with strength and courage

Around 24 million children in the United States live in single-parent families. About 408,000 of them live in Massachusetts.

Globe Santa hears from many of their parents, and by all accounts their lives are grueling. Nearly 80 percent of single-parent families in America are headed by single mothers. A third live in poverty, largely because the cost of child care is out of reach, eating up half or more of their take-home pay.

The usual tribulations of parenting are magnified — greatly — when there is only one parent. All the more so when there’s bereavement, divorce, or separation to contend with.

“I [have] only been able to work at between 50 percent and 70 percent of my typical working capacity due to court dates, meetings with police, lawyers, meetings with the Department of Children & Families, and caring for my 3-year-old,” wrote a father with full custody of his daughter.

And then there are the holidays.

“For most, the December holidays bring joy and happiness. In my world, they are a time of stress,” a single mother of two wrote Globe Santa. “I am constantly comparing myself to others, wishing I could provide more.”

But the letters aren’t only about problems. They’re also about hope and courage, and they can leave you in awe.

In a recent batch of letters to Globe Santa, three mothers wrote that they’re in nursing school. One said she is trying to “set [the kids] up for a better future. … They are supportive of my dreams, and I want to give them a better future.”

Another mother, with three children, works two jobs while attending school “to accomplish the nursing dream so that I can be able to care for the kids.”

Another writes, in meticulous blocky letters, to make “a humble request for assistance.”

She started nursing school this fall, “and while pursuing my dreams of becoming a nurse, I have encountered some financial challenges.” She had made the difficult decision to cut back on her work hours to concentrate on her studies, which has strained her ability to support herself and her “bright and curious” baby daughter.

“Dear Globe Santa,” she wrote. “Like any parent I want to ensure that she experiences the joy and wonder that the holiday season brings.”

Another woman raising three children alone in Boston is working her way through a blitz of skilled trade programs — culinary arts, home health aide training, even real estate training. “All while focusing on my mental health and maintaining my motherly duties.”

A single mother of two is facing challenges so staggering she says she is rebooting her life and starting over. She is a recovering addict, but “by the grace of God, I was given another opportunity to be someone’s mom again.”

She regrets that she missed more than half of her son’s life but is now “fixing the broken and burned bridges.” She has a baby girl, found a job she loves, and has moved to a new apartment. She struggles to pay the rent “but this will be OUR first Christmas, clean and serene. Please help me in making my Christmas special.”

Message received. The Globe Santa machine is operational, and gift boxes are already on the trucks and already being delivered to more than 30,000 children across Massachusetts — thanks to generous readers and their donations.

For 68 years Globe Santa, a program of the Boston Globe Foundation, has provided gifts to children in need at holiday time. Please consider giving by phone, mail, or online at globesanta.org.

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