Single parent vs sole parent: Tia Mowry defends calling herself a single mom

Tia Mowry says, “It’s not even about being a single mom,” but about normalizing different family dynamics in response to critics.

Tia Mowry has a question for the internet: “Why do I get backlash for calling myself a single mom?”

Recently, the actress received criticism from social media users for describing herself as a single mother. Mowry is the mother of her son, Cree, 14, and daughter, Cairo, 7, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Cory Hardrict. However, since the couple’s divorce in 2022, the “Sister, Sister” star has had to adjust to a new family dynamic. 

“Family can look different than what we imagined and still be full of love, stability, and joy,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “This is my truth, and I want to share it. Being a ‘single mom’ doesn’t always mean a mom doing it all alone without the father present in their kids’ lives at all. I recognize that archetype is extremely difficult, and I truly empathize.”

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“For me, in my household, I am SINGLE. I don’t have a partner, so I’m holding it down for everyone at home. I’m the only parent present day to day,” she continued. 

The mother of two went on to highlight the importance of a healthy co-parenting relationship for the sake of the children. Despite her and Hardrict’s divorce, Mowry says she and her ex-husband actively work to protect their children from feeling the divide by keeping traditions alive and celebrating holidays and birthdays together. 

“It’s not even about being a ‘single mom.’ It’s about recognizing we need to normalize different family dynamics,” Mowry explained. “Just because parents aren’t together doesn’t mean the family is ‘broken.’ It just looks different. Parents have to set aside their emotions and feelings for each other. They have to be there for their kids. No matter what.”

Despite Mowry emphasizing that she has no romantic partners and is “the only parent present day to day” social media users are calling out the typical connotation of the term “single mom,” especially in Black communities. 

“Single mom has generally meant a woman raising kids without a partner,” one user commented under her post. 

Another added: “Single mom and a mom who is single is different.” 

“Technically, she’s right. She’s literally a mom who is single. The problem is people tend to create their own definitions and everyone else runs with it,” an Instagram user wrote. 

Ultimately, Mowry says she created the post to highlight the “many nuances” of family dynamics.

“Let’s shed light on these different family stories. Don’t feel guilty or pressured by what society says a family should be,” she wrote. “Happy, healthy families come in many forms. Different doesn’t mean broken. We are family, regardless.”