The fallacy of my challenge

A large percentage of households on SNAP benefits are led by single mothers.  Because of my family's peculiar circumstances this semester (my husband is working in MI while the kids and I live down in KY), I have been doing this challenge pretending to be a single mother.  Right there a problem unfolds:  pretending to be a single mother has very little to do with being a real single mother. 

Here are some of the realities a single mother mother might face:

• Managing a single income without someone at home to complete the daily chores.  Always being the go-to-person.
• Lack of time and energy.  I can dedicate my afternoons to cooking bread or pizza dough, preparing fresh meals, and carefully planning grocery lists because I am not the primary bread winner; my husband is.  A single mom is going to be working all day (if she's lucky) and then have to figure out a way to feed her children every night.  When is she going to fix those meals?  I guess she could wake up at about 5am to do that.  Would you want to?
• Shopping with all of her children.  I sometimes take all 3 of my children, but usually I have at most 1 in tow.  That's James.  I get him a package of trail mix and a drink box of chocolate milk from Starbucks in Kroger.  He happily sits in the cart, slurping and munching away.  At times he asks me for food he sees, and I have the energy to say "No".  Mothers working all day, desperate to get home and keep the kids reasonable. might just give in to whatever the kids ask for including sugary cereal, junk food, soda, and whatever else is purposefully put at children's eye sight.  
• A relentless reality.  Everyday is just about getting by.  Trying to make sure the kids make it to school and make it home.  Making sure they get their homework done and their reading logs filled out.  Making sure dinner is on the table and no one goes to bed hungry.  The number of fruits and vegetables they eat might seem irrelevant.  The ingredients in their food might seem irrelevant as long as they have food. 
• Dealing with a child who has to stay at home because s/he is sick.  Taking a pay cut because the single mother has to stay at home to take care of a sick child, resulting in a loss of grocery money.
• Constant feelings of stress when confronting the reality of her situation.  Feelings of entrapment.
• Loneliness.  No one with whom to share the joys and sorrows of parenting.
• Constant lack of cash flow.  Guilty feelings of not being able to provide for your kids what other kids have.
• Hard choices.  Food or medicine.  Food or bills.  Doing what you can to make life better for everyone, but everyday is hard.
• Guilt.  You know all the other kids in your child's class are sent in with snack but you have nothing to give your child each morning.
• Unpredictability.  Maybe a single mom's job has hours that change schedule to schedule, making it impossible to schedule regular daycare.  Or maybe a single mom has a job that makes it necessary to work on holidays when it's hard to find childcare.  

I won't be able to come up with all the realities a single mom faces because they are too real and too serious.  I can't just imagine them.  All I can do is say that I hope my challenge does not seem presumptuous.  I hope it does not seem like I'm making light of a real single mother's situation.  I'm doing what I can.  And I, as can everyone, can always do more.