Divorced parents

The father of Rachel's first four children still has a place in her meticulously-organised life. "My son from my second marriage no longer sees his dad but my first husband looks after him. He even goes with his brothers and sisters to my ex in-laws and they treat him like their own grandson, which is great." Rachel's ex-husband sees his children regularly, takes them on holiday, looks after them at weekends and sometimes comes to help them with their homework in the evening.

Independent
"Because I've brought them up on my own and I've not mollycoddled them as much as other mums, my kids are very resourceful. I try to make sure that they have the best. As for me, I feel good about myself and I'm happy. I'm a happy mum and I still feel like a woman with her own life."

• Mother hen
• Dealing with an absent father
• Organised mum
• And the dads' role?
• Part-time mum
• Dividing time with child
• Determined to have a baby
• Experiencing pregnancy and childbirth alone
• Independent mum
• Independent attitude