Tag Archives: single parenting

Take a Deep Breath

I have a confession to make. I give great advice, but I haven’t been following it lately. I’ve been letting the stress of life get to me. So much so that I had a major melt down last night which in turn led my body to tell me to quit it. How does my body tell me this you ask? I woke up with a cold sore. I had never had one of these until I met my ex-husband, one of the many negative things he passed along. But now, whenever I let the emotional stress consume me I inevitably … Continue reading →

Are You A Victim?

I read so many articles about single parenting and the tone is never good. Just about every article you read is negative, either they are telling you how badly the children are going to turn out or about how bad the single parents have it. They always talk about surviving; I don’t like the sound of that. I’m not surviving my daughter’s childhood, I’m enjoying it. Yes we struggle at times, as do many two parent families. I refuse to think of myself as a victim, there are so many people in this world who have gone through worse things … Continue reading →

Please Just Listen

Sometimes the worst thing you can possibly say to someone is “I know exactly what you mean” and then launch into the reason that you know exactly what they mean. It’s never the same and when you are a single mother and your married friends say they know how it feels because their husband works too much or isn’t involved enough with the kids, it seems to negate what you go through on a regular basis. So many times I’ve been talking with a married friend and I’m frustrated at having to do this alone so I need to vent … Continue reading →

It Takes A Village

I wrote a post about fatherless homes and another blogger here on Families left a wonderful comment. She said mothers with the right support system can raise a beautiful well adjusted child, it takes a village, as she reminded me. Tonight I am reminded again of how true that really is. My niece is a single mother of a five month old. She recently went back to work full time, quite a lot on your plate when you are just eighteen. My mom is in town so tonight we went to visit my niece and the baby. This new baby … Continue reading →

Sometimes I Still Need My Mommy

Mother daughter relationships can sometimes be a minefield, especially after you are an adult with children of your own. You may feel that you are walking a tightrope between being an adult and being your mother’s child. At no time is this truer than when you become a single mother. Everyone wants their mother to be proud of them so you may already feel like you’ve let your mother down by getting divorced. I know the guilt I feel for being divorced makes me want to be perfect at everything else. Perfect mother, perfect daughter, and perfect friend. Sadly, no … Continue reading →

Curbing Obesity In Children

I read an article today that said that in a study of 8717 children between the ages of 4 and 9 showed higher rates of obesity in girls from single parent families. They said those same girls watched more televisions, ate more foods high in fat and sugar and less fruits and vegetable than girls in dual parent households. They authors of this study were quick to point out that this doesn’t mean single parents are doing a bad job, just that this is the result of the stress of single parenting, especially single parenting girls. Girls overall are more … Continue reading →

Preparing For Emergencies

It’s so important, especially when you are single, to be prepared for emergencies. The scariest thing I can think of as a single mother is a loss of income due to illness, injury or layoff. I try to plan ahead as much as possible, just in case, and one way I do that is by having food storage. This is something I would recommend for all families. Knowing that you can still feed your kids will alleviate some of the stress and let you focus on other things. Getting a good food storage together takes time, don’t try to do … Continue reading →

Dating Tips For Single Parents

Dating as a single mom can be a little daunting. For most of us, it’s been years since we went on a date with anyone other than a man who knew us well. I remember feeling like I didn’t even know how to behave on a date anymore! More and more single people are using online dating as a way to meet people. This can make dating even scarier, it’s one thing to go out to dinner with someone you know, even vaguely, but to go out with a complete strange can be a little intimidating. Here are a few … Continue reading →

Things That Go Bump In The Night

When I was married I didn’t worry about things like noises in the night or spiders. After all, I had a husband and he always took care of those things. This was not something I thought about before the divorce but once I was living alone I found that there wasn’t anyone else around to kill my spiders. It was time to put on my big girl panties and deal with creepy crawlies and things that go bump in the night. Those first few nights were the worst. I had never actually lived alone in my life. I left my … Continue reading →

Marrying Young

If you support your child’s decisions does that mean that you agree with them? My daughter is getting married, she is only 18. We all think she is too young, they are both too young, does that mean we refuse to participate or do we support them but let them know that we wish they would wait? This is where I am right now. My only child has decided to get married. I tried to talk her out of it, not because I don’t like her boyfriend but because at 18 and 20 I feel that they are too young. … Continue reading →