Shane Crawford with his mother, Dianne. THERE are few forces in nature as powerful and prevailing as the bond between mother and son. Washington Irving described it best when he said: "There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart." I was reminded of the strength of that unconditional love when reading Bathurst winner Mark Winterbottom's heartfelt tribute to his mother, June, in the Herald Sun. He wrote: "My mother raised me on her own. Winterbottom explained how June went without so he could pursue his dream; she even sold the family's couch to pay for a go-kart for Mark. Millions watched his triumph at Mt Panorama but the woman who made it possible passed away two years ago after a brief battle with cancer. I fought, and those fighting qualities come from my Mum. She fought for everything she had, and fought for me," Winterbottom wrote. And it wouldn't have been possible without my Mum. So June, this one is for you. This is thanks for all you did and for the woman you were. Mum, we won Bathurst. Some may be surprised to learn that men can excel in the testosterone-filled arenas of motorsport and football despite growing up without a father. In the AFL some of the best and most respected champions of the game are the proud products of single-mother households. Brownlow winners Jimmy Bartel, Adam Goodes and Shane Crawford have all benefited from being raised by strong women who struggled and sacrificed to ensure their talented sons had every opportunity to succeed. Those players have not only reached the pinnacle as elite sportsmen but more importantly they are exemplary human beings who typify the qualities we all want to see in our children. It can be argued that growing up in a single-parent household strengthened the resolve of those young men to achieve great things. Adam Goodes' mother, Lisa May, who raised three sons on her own, has said much was expected of Adam from a young age. "Adam had to be the man of the family," she said. He had to grow up quickly. I've been mum and dad for Adam ... I was with them 24-7. I never had a holiday myself. Crawford's mother, Dianne, didn't have too many holidays either. She was too busy working two jobs to give her three sons a solid start in life. Crawford has acknowledged his mother as the driving force behind his career. "I'm so close to my Mum, she's like my best mate," he said. She's been mother and father. Determined not to repeat the pattern of his childhood, Crawford has resolved to be as close as possible to his four sons: "My family is everything to me. I have had a long and successful football career, but I will judge my success on whether I can be the best father and partner that I can possibly be. The absence of a father figure didn't dampen Bartel's footballing ambitions. The triple premiership player has praised his mother for going the extra mile to give her children every chance to succeed. "Mum worked a couple of jobs to give us the best chance," he said. It was a big effort and it proves that single-parent families can be just as good as the standard ones. IT'S not just elite sportsmen who have come from single-mother families; a raft of actors from Al Pacino to Pierce Brosnan and musicians as varied as John Lennon to Kanye West were raised with minimal contact with their fathers. The current US president is another example of a sole parent, with the assistance of grandparents, raising a son destined for greatness. Barack Obama met his biological father only once between the ages of 3 and 21, when Obama Sr passed away. The 42nd president, Bill Clinton, never met his biological father, William Blythe. It's heartening for the 780,000 single-mum households in Australia to know that despite the doomsayers it is possible to raise a happy, well-adjusted and confident child. It's not just about the quantity of parents in the house but the quality of parenting. Though the majority of women find themselves sole or single parents through unforeseen circumstances, there are increasing number of professional women who are choosing single parenthood when they find themselves on the wrong side of 35 without a long-term partner. There's no doubt that statistically the outcomes for single-parent homes are worse than traditional families in key areas including health and education. Some of the women who struggle most are ill-prepared for the obligations of motherhood. That, coupled with prolonged economic stress, can have a devastating effect on both mother and child. But it is important to note that the undesirable outcomes are almost always based on economic disadvantage and often exasperated by the stress of messy break-ups and conflict between parents. Similarly poor results are evident for two-parent households facing comparable financial hardship. The love and stability of a happy home can overcome just about anything. Motherhood may not be the hardest job in the world but it is the most important and rewarding. So here is a tip of the hat to all the single mums who haven't raised a Brownlow winner or Bathurst champion but who did the heavy lifting and sacrificed to give their child the very best they could. Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist