"Traded a Husband for a Bestie": Why These Mums Moved In Together

Some single mums are finding a new way to make parenting easier. Instead of doing everything alone, they are moving in with their best friends and raising their children together. Nicole lives in Wollongong, Australia, with her two-year-old son Charlie. Her close friend Emma, who uses they/them pronouns, and Emma's toddler Sandy moved in with them after both parents struggled with solo parenting. Together, they share cooking, cleaning, and childcare every single day.

Before Emma moved in, Nicole felt very lonely as a single parent. She had no one to help at night when Charlie cried, and no one to even notice how hard she was working. When Emma and Sandy joined the household, everything changed. The two families quickly built a warm and busy life together. They share meals, take turns with bedtime routines, and even hold nightly dance parties to tire out the toddlers before bed.

In New York City, a school teacher named Bernie had a similar idea. She was a single mum of two boys and felt worn out by doing most of the parenting work on her own in past relationships. One day she ran into an old friend named Annabel, who was also a struggling single mum. They started spending time together, and Bernie soon asked Annabel to move in — with one firm rule: no men allowed in the house. In August 2024, Annabel and her daughter moved in, and Bernie says life has never been better.

Both Nicole and Bernie say the key to making their shared homes work is being fully committed. Each person has to be willing to pitch in without being asked. In Bernie's home, Annabel will notice that a child needs help and step in without any prompting. In Nicole's home, one parent handles dinner while the other plays with the kids. Both women agree that this kind of teamwork feels natural in a way that is hard to explain to people who have not experienced it.

There are challenges too. Nicole's family of four shares a two-bedroom apartment, which gets very cramped. And after more than a year together, Emma and Sandy are moving back to Melbourne to be near family. Nicole says she will miss them greatly but understands. Both sets of friends plan to keep their bond strong through visits and holidays together. As Nicole put it, sharing the small and hard moments of life with a trusted friend is simply priceless.