• Barbara Pazur and her ex split when their daughter was six months old. • Five years later, despite shared custody, her daughter still wouldn't sleep at her dad's. • A three-day trip to Milan with a friend helped Pazur recharge — and gave her daughter space to connect with her father.

I've been a single mom for just over five years. My daughter's dad and I separated when she was six months old, and since then, I've dedicated my life completely to her. I haven't dated, traveled, or done pretty much anything "for me."

Despite having joint custody, our daughter refused to sleep over at her dad's place, and they only saw each other once a week, during the day. While neither of us wanted to force sleepovers on her, I still thought it wasn't good that she was so dependent solely on me.

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