Story of Single Father

Bob Greig
I have been a single parent since 2004. My two daughters Priya and Anya live with me on a full-time basis. In the last few years I have experienced the highpoints and downside of raising a family on my own. I’ve experienced redundancy, some ill-health, a lack of disposable income and a constant nagging feeling that I should always be doing a bit better. But on the other hand, I get to see my children grow up day by day and in truth I have a better relationship with my daughters now than I ever would have done before.


It’s just special.
But it has taken me some time to get back on my feet. I’d say 4 years or so. My divorce was tangled, messy, and complicated. Add a contentious dose of the Children’s Act into the mix and you will begin to understand why at the end of the process I was both wiser and weaker. I’d gone from a fairly laid back and happy professional to a man who couldn’t enter a supermarket for fear of having another panic attack. In those dark years I’d stopped socialising and found safety only in my own house.
Like all single dads I meet, none of us are brought up to raise families on our own. There is a degree of “make it up as you go along” in my house – at times that can be fun; at other times it all feels a bit unsettling. There is love though – and that is what really matters.
Like ALL single Dads, I like that point in the day when the kids are in bed. Then I watch Newsnight and drink Rioja and re-read books by Alan Silitoe and Stan Barstow. One of the (many) joys of being a single parent is that you get to watch and listen to what you want again!
Professional Background
A couple of years voluntary work with the Mission to Seafarers was followed by a sixteen year stretch with the Church of England in the field of property management. A short time in private property consultancy with King Sturge followed where I was project managing the transformation of churches who were looking to bring community/mixed use into their buildings.
The key to successfully managing a complex property project is to ensure you work with the very best professional team - and by that I mean individuals who combine enthusiasm and technical know-how. I believe that same principle applies to single parents who do need occasional help and support to make the most out of our situation.