I'm a dad and I've unexpectedly found myself raising my son effectively alone.

I'm in an atypical single-parent situation, but more general single-dad advice would probably be better for other readers. My wife received a brain injury a couple of years ago, leaving her profoundly disabled and almost entirely unable to communicate. She lives with us and we're still very much in love, but she's mostly an immobile mute observer. She understands everything that is going on and though she can laugh along with us, she can't put together sentences complex enough to critique my parenting skills.

Everything I read about being a good dad relates to the roles that a father should fulfill (typically [traditionally] being the firmer hand of discipline, engaging in more rough-and-tumble, doing father/son projects, etc). These are all things I find myself doing naturally anyway, so I guess I'm a fairly stereotypical guy being a fairly stereotypical dad.

However, I feel less aware of what the traditional motherly roles are that my son is now missing out on. I'm sure I'm going to have to make a conscious effort to give him the things that his mum would more typically provide, to ensure he turns out as emotionally and socially well-rounded as possible.

My son is an only child. He's 4 years old now. We effectively lost his mum when he was just turning 2 - I've muddled through the last couple of years.