I have been a teacher in the US for 20 years (National Board Certified for past 6 years) and I once believed that every child would do better with both parents. In fact I stayed in an unhealthy marriage because of that and my Catholic upbringing for far too long. Now I KNOW that a child will thrive with loving sober parents who respect each other and put their child's needs first. My 5 year old daughter will not grow up with both her parents as a married unit. I will raise my daughter as a single parent. She will have a loving, caring, warm home filled with happiness. I couldn't have provided that for her if I had stayed with my AH (her father) any longer. This isn't what I had dreamed or hoped, but it is what is best for her future.