Being a single parent is hard work. You know what makes it even more difficult? The questions and “advice” you get from people who have no idea what it’s like to walk in your shoes.

Below, we’ve gathered up 11 things single parents are tired of hearing. The next time you run into a single mom or dad, make their lives a little easier and kindly refrain from repeating any of these remarks.

Don’t even go there. Having a spouse who is often out of town for work is categorically not the same thing as raising a kid alone. When that business trip is over, your spouse will walk back through that door and avail you of some of those kid-related burdens (diapers and tantrums and last-minute book reports, oh my!). Hopefully, he or she will also extend a nice little “hey, thanks for picking up the extra slack” kiss. A single parent does not have that luxury.

True, but it’s a double-edged sword. You may get a little break from the kids when your ex has them, but more often than not, that time is spent catching up on laundry and squeezing in as many naps as possible.

And while it’s nice to have a break of sorts, sometimes it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’re missing out on half of your kids’ lives when they’re off with your ex. Like we said, double-edged sword.

Wait, what? If a potential love interest isn’t ready to embrace your kids, he or she shouldn’t be dating you in the first place. It’s as simple as that. The kids and the parent are a package deal.

Yep. If only money grew on trees.

Who’s in any rush? The choice to stay single is often just that — a choice. There’s a big difference between being lonely and being alone, and a good single parent understands this.

Nope, he complained about the cooking and the next thing you knew, they had a divorce attorney on the line.

Believe us — with every fiber of their being, they tried to make it work. No one wants to put their kid through the awful experience of watching their parents split up. No one.

They’ve got uncles, aunts, grandpas, grandmas and plenty of close family friends in their lives. They’ve got a veritable tribe of people — and parental figures — looking out for them. It takes a village to raise a child and most single parents try their hardest to provide one.

This is one of those universal “don’t go there” statements for single people in general. For most parents raising their kids on their own, there’s a multitude of reasons for remaining single: free time is hard to come by, they could still be reeling from splitting with their kid’s other parent, and they aren’t just going to settle for any Tom, Dick or Harry they meet on Tinder. Single parents are selective, regardless of how great they happen to be.

And this? This is one of those universal “don’t go there” statements for parents in general. Unless you follow up that question with “When do you need me to babysit?” — don’t say it. Under-eye bags are basically a badge of honor among single parents.

It’s a well-meaning question, but if you hear this as a single parent, you can’t help but think, “How couldn’t I do it all? What other option do I have but to love and care for these kids, fully and selflessly, all by myself?” You do it all because you love them.

Hahahaha.

That is all.

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