If parenting wasn't hard enough to begin with, finding yourself separated from your partner with young children can be hugely stressful. The emotional turmoil of the situation notwithstanding, practical day-to-day activities can suddenly seem a lot harder when you're on your own.

Added to that is also the stress of having to communicate everything you're doing with the kids with your ex-partner which can be fraught for any number of reasons, even if it's a relatively amicable split.

According to About.com, arguing about things like parenting time, discipline, and parenting styles is common. In fact, expecting to never argue with your ex would be unrealistic.

The trick is to learn how to keep your fighting to an absolute minimum and how to pick your battles or just don't have any at all. It takes time and effort to develop a healthy co-parenting relationship where there is no conflict involved. If you can stop arguing with your ex, your kids will also be a lot happier and less stressed and so, therefore, will you.

Most separated couples get there in the end, and although the road is rocky, you just have to think of the end goal. You may not ever be able to live next door to each other or go on joint holidays with new partners (that surely only happens in films or the tiniest number of real-life cases), but you will be able to lead a happy, communicative and stress free co-parenting existence.

However, you might be a single parent without an ex-partner, in which case, many would say, “lucky you!”

March 21st was single parent day and according to Huffington Post's single parenting columnist, Kerri Zane, being a single parent without an ex-partner to contend with is pretty good in many ways.

If you've had a rubbish time in a relationship that's broken down, Kerri thinks you'll quickly come around to her way of thinking, that actually being a single parent can be a breath of fresh air and give you a real sense of freedom, both as an adult and as a parent.

Here are Kerri's five solid reasons why it's better to be a single mum or dad than half of a parenting pair:

1. No Negotiations Necessary: While your married counterparts continue to disagree on the state of their children's welfare, you get to make unilateral choices, which in the long run is better for your offspring's well-being. A child's behaviour can be negatively affected by adults arguing. It will either leave them crying their eyes out or running for cover. With no one else in the house to challenge your choices, you may continue to be the cosy constant security blanket your children need. Granted, there is a financial price to pay when you are the sole provider, but children need to learn that sometimes we can't give them everything they want. And often what they thought was a "must-have," really isn't. Ultimately if it is that important, you will find a way. Payment plans were designed for the single parent!
2. Stellar Independent Role Model: One of the best gifts I was able to give my two daughters was the knowledge that they can make it on their own. Change a light bulb without a dad in the house -- snap Mom. Swoop a stylish up-do for your teen with no mom in sight -- yeah Dad. You embody the idea that it's better to "want" to be in a relationship, because there is a loving bond rather than you "need" to be in a relationship, because there is stuff to be done or procured. When your child sees you as a completely whole and independent adult, they will learn to emulate your healthy behaviour.
3. Relationship Options May Vary: Our society is shifting away from the bonds of matrimony. A recent Pew study revealed that just over half of adult Americans are married, the lowest rate in decades. Children will be enlightened and possibly relieved that they are no longer tied to that traditional lifestyle. Marriage is optional and sometimes not applicable. Long-term relationships without wedding bands can be stronger. My idols in this arena are Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn; they've been together for nearly 30 years. These lessons are particularly important for girls, who were raised on the fictitious belief that Prince Charming would sweep them of their feet to live happily ever after, only to become enormously disappointed when their fairy-tale ending turns into a hard-core courtroom reality.
4. Bed Sharing Not Required: Married couples may have more sex, but it isn't nearly as much fun. While they constantly have to "spice it up" in the bedroom, the nature of being single and switching partners does all the cooking for us. We tease, experiment and explore the bawdy awareness of every new lover. Researchers at the University of Pisa found that testosterone levels, in both men and women, make the sex hotter during the first two years of a relationship. My favourite part of becoming single again was the choice to have, or not to have, a mate in my bed. The National Sleep Foundation reported that sleeping two to a bed could cause you to lose 49 minutes of sleep per night. That's a lot! On the nights when no one is next to me to snuggle with, I lay diagonally across the mattress, relishing the cool crisp sheets on "his side."
5. Building a Better Body: Marriages are like your freshman year in college. You have the tendency to pack on the pounds. One study found that women could gain five to eight pounds in the first few years of their wedded bliss and a whopping 54 pounds by the ten-year mark, while their single counterparts stay slim. Most of us have an overriding desire to want to be attractive to prospective mates of the opposite sex. The result of a divorce? A slimmer, trimmer you -- aka the Divorce Diet. Take a look at Tom Cruise who reportedly lost 15 pounds after splitting with Katie. Jennie Garth lost 20 pounds and Demi Moore has been stick thin since the departure of her sweetheart, Ashton Kutcher.

Many reports will tell you that being a single parent is stressful. It is. But no more stressful than being a married parent. Ultimately, we all want to step into our own with confidence and take every curveball life throws us with our independent spirit intact.

The best way to handle the inevitable life shifts is to stay positive, reach out for support from your friends and family, relish the time you spend with your children and most importantly, create a daily space for some much-deserved “me-time”.

Kerri is an Emmy award-winning executive TV producer, healthy living expert, single mum advisor, author, radio co-host and speaker. She writes for the Huffington Post.