You don’t know how strong and capable you are as a parent until you’re forced to raise your kids on your own. Whether you have full or shared custody, parenting after divorce is a tough road to walk.

As difficult as it may be, it doesn’t have to cripple you as a parent. Below, HuffPost Divorce followers on Facebook share how divorce made them a better parent.

 1. Your kids benefit from watching you navigate the unexpected.
“My boys have learned major life lessons watching me do it alone. The divorce wasn’t something I saw coming or wanted to happen, but I know I’m a better person and a parent because of it!” — Karen Nelson

2. Your spouse’s needs no longer compete with your kids’ needs.

“Before my divorce I was responsible for every detail of the children’s lives and I tried to balance it with being a wife to my husband. Now that I am a single parent of four children, I feel I get to enjoy them more without worrying if their father is stressed out or annoyed. I know they will grow up and leave one day but until then I get to cherish every moment.” — Jennifer Melton  

3. “Me time” becomes a necessity — and that’s ultimately a good thing for your kids. 

5. You go the extra mile to make sure your kids grow up as healthy and happy as possible. 

“I’m more focused on their welfare and emotional needs now. Before I think I assumed they would be OK. Now I feel like since they’re coming from a divorced family they have the odds stacked against them so I try harder.” — Mariah Mattingly Dennison

6. The constant arguments in your household cease to exist. 

“We have more stability. There’s no more arguing between me and my son’s father. I can focus on my son and make sure he’s healthy and happy.”  — Sara Elizabeth Worsham 

8. And the moments you have with them are all yours. 

“I love fatherhood — and now my time with the kids is my time, no one else’s.” — Nate Morton

9. There’s room to create new traditions with the kids. 

“The kids and I do more things together as a family now. We do community service and get out and meet new people. We never did that before.” — Robin Madore Roper

Divorce molds you into a better parent and a better person. 

“Divorce taught me how to think before I speak, swallow both my anger and my pride, and put my child’s needs before my own. I am both a better parent and a better person for having struggled through my divorce. I make each decision acutely aware of how they will affect my child.” — Janice Charles 

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