Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe, has shared her emotional journey as a single mother, describing the experience as deeply exhausting and something she would never wish on anyone.
Speaking during an interview on the talk show Real Talk with Kike, Aigbe candidly reflected on the difficulties of raising children alone and the toll it has taken on her.
She acknowledged the immense challenge of playing the dual roles of both mother and father, stating that being a single parent is far from easy.
Mercy revealed that the emotional weight of single motherhood often influenced how she raised her children, pushing her to be tougher out of fear of further failure.
“For me, raising a child as a single mum… shout out to all the single mums out there, you guys are heroes. It’s not easy playing the role of two people. I am very sensitive when I talk about my single mother moment because it wasn’t an easy journey. That’s why anytime I pray for Michelle, I pray for other kids around me that I nurture, that are not my biological kids but they are still my kids. I say to them, especially the girls, that life happens. A lot of us didn’t set out to be like this in terms of our love life but life happens and we hope for the best for our kids. I always tell my children that your first time will be your forever. Because I don’t wish it on anybody, it’s draining,” she said.
The actress explained that her strong stance on parenting was rooted in the pressure she felt to succeed as a mother, especially after feeling like she had already failed in her relationship. She emphasized that she initially struggled to let her children make their own mistakes, not realizing that personal growth often comes through trial and error.
“I think part of what made me very tough on my kids is that I just didn’t want to fail as a mother because I had failed at this, I didn’t want to fail as a mother. I didn’t even want them to make mistakes, not realising it was part of their life’s journey, I was pushing hard and not giving them a chance to be who they want to be and make errors to gain correction from their errors. I didn’t want people to laugh at me and say a single mum raised them, they can’t do anything good. It’s so draining that financially, emotionally, morally, and mentally you still have to show up,” she added.
Mercy Aigbe’s reflections have struck a chord with many, highlighting the often unseen struggles that single mothers endure while trying to provide stability and hope for their children.
