Photo Credit: Orangeburg Sheriff's Department/AP

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August 14, 2010

Being a single parent in America is not easy. And in a tragic example of the overwhelming burdens some single parents face, 29-year-old Shaquan Duley is facing two counts of murder in the deaths of her sons, ages 1 and 2, in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Reports say Duley was "unemployed, single and apparently fed up with criticism from her mother" when she allegedly suffocated her two toddlers with her bare hands, strapped them into car seats, and sent the car into a river, authorities said Tuesday.

Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams told reporters, "She was a mother that was unemployed. She had no means of taking care of her children. She lives with her mother and her mother was a very, I guess, firm individual. ... She often talked with her daughter about, I guess, maybe being more of a mother or being more reliable."

Shaquan apparently argued with her mother the night before the children's bodies were found early Monday in Duley's Chrysler sedan, submerged in the Edisto River, he said.

"We believe this is a direct response (to the argument) from Ms. Duley," Williams said. "I believe she was just fed up with her mother telling her she couldn't take care of the children and she wasn't taking care of her children and she just wanted to be free."

If you are a parent struggling with taking care of your children, you are not alone. There are options to help you deal with the stress of parenting, and the economic burden of raising a family. Go to SingleParentCenter.com and Help For Low Income for tools and resources that can help you cope with the struggles of parenting.

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