Let's address this in order, shall we?

1. When it comes to parents being too far or too old, you can only speak for yourself. My parents were not too far nor too old. I now help my son and his wife. If that is not an option for you, that is unfortunate, but it is not the case for everyone.

2. Yes, friends do have their own lives. Friends also help each other out. Again, if yours do not, that is unfortunate for you, but not true for everyone.

2a. If you have no friends or family, might I suggest you read my other article, Single Parent’s Guide to Parenting With No Support System (https://medium.com/love-the-single-parent/single-parents-guide-to-parenting-with-no-support-system-c686b1fa0d97), because it might be more helpful to your circumstances?

3. Yes, better sick leave care would be the ideal. As would be better maternity leave, better contraceptive options, and the right to decide for ourselves whether an abortion is right for us. However, since none of us are able to snap our fingers and magically make any of those things happen instantly, this article does not address those. You see, this article is not intended as a dreamy, "What a wonderful world..." theoretical piece. Instead, this article is about offering some practical advice to single parents who could use some help when they wake up in the next few weeks and are sick and need some help. Those other things would be nice, and perhaps if you worked with the rest of us to fight for those things, then I wouldn't have to write articles like this. Until those other things are a reality, though, I'll continue to offer practical tips for single parents.

Thanks for the response!