Single moms have had a place in our society for many years. While the challenges remain difficult, many women have found their way and still manage to raise smart, head strong individuals with college degrees and promising careers; but not without a fight.
The first task is to get yourself to a place where you don’t feel sorry for yourself because your husband or boyfriend left you. You can’t spend forever sulking in your hurt, pain and misery. It would not be wise to try to get revenge or think up some plan to ruin his life. You just don’t have that kind of time. While you are contemplating payback, your child or children are growing up and need you to focus on them.
Of course you must work on yourself, find ways to improve your self esteem and self confidence. Remember your worth, know your gifts, remain confident in who you are becoming. What we sometimes forget is that our children are watching. Regardless of their age or their ability to understand what is going on, they are learning from you how to exist in their world. You must set the example of how to handle joy, sadness, disappointment, conflict and any other life issue that comes your way. Model it because one day it will be their life.
Once you get over yourself and become clear that this is not about you, the work begins.
Plan, organize and schedule your day. Include your children’s in school and out of school activities as well as your responsibilities at work, home and any other area in your life. Consider an hour by hour schedule, weekly planner or checklist method; whatever works for you.
Make sure that your children are involved in activities, clubs, sports, something that will not only keep them from idle time but will enrich their experience and teach them things like teamwork, diversity, and self confidence
Attend their events regardless of what you have going on. Go to the games, the performance, the concerts, even the practices. Even if they don’t say it. It will mean the world to them to see mom there.
Put routines and expectations in place at home. Make chores everyone’s responsibility. Set aside a time for homework, games, conversation and even a little tv watching as a family
Don’t underestimate the power of teaching at home. Discuss homework with your child. Read with and to them. Talk about friends and how to handle certain situations. Share relevant and age appropriate personal experiences to let them know they are not alone. If you have teens or pre teens, tackle those rough conversations about sex, drugs, peer pressure, alcohol and every other relevant issue.
Make sure they are aware of where your priorities lie and what you values. You teach children good morals and values by what you model. While I cannot tell you what you should value as you will determine that on your own, you should focus on those things that will help your children to be successful in life. For example, getting a good education and cultivating healthy relationships are extremely important in today’s society.
Depending on your situation you will need to be comfortable talking about their absent parent. If you are co-parenting, make sure that if possible both you and the father are on the same page with how to answer question about what happened and why you are not together. If the father is not in the picture at all, prepare what will you say to your children when they ask. It is absolutely not okay to bash the father in any circumstance. Regardless of how or why you came to be a single parent, your child should not be brought down by your personal opinions and feeling about the other parent. If for some reason, your break up was because it was no longer safe to remain in the relationship, then when the time is appropriate and with additional expert advice from a trust professional, decide when to share that information.
Managing single parenting and work or running a business is a huge challenge and can leave you worn out and exhausted daily. From grocery shopping to cleaning up the house and keeping order in your house to attending every activity for each child, you will certainly feel the pressure and sometimes the pain. Prioritizing and managing your time is the best solution
While I am mentioning this last it is definitely us not least. It is the most important thing that you will do in this process and any other for that matter. Keeping a relationship with God will help you in times of loneliness, frustration, and disappointment. It will help keep you balanced and focused on what is important. It will keep you sane when you feel you are losing your mind. This relationship is the most important relationship of your life as it will set the foundation for all of the others. Involve your children as you continue to grow. They too must understand the relevance of having God in their lives.
So how do single moms do it? One second, one minute, one day at a time. While I cannot promise you a bed a roses, these tips should help you keep your eyes on the goal: raising healthy, responsible and competent adults.
Something important to remember is YOU. While you don’t have the time to feel sorry for yourself for being in this situation, you do need to take care of your self. The most valuable time that you may have in your day outside of spending time with your children is ME TIME. Make sure your nightly routine includes time for yourself. Set a bed time for the children at a decent time so that the house will be totally quiet. Use this time to pray, rejuvenate, breathe, take a warm bath. regroup, reflect, rest and prepare for the next day.
Single moms have been making it happen for years and you can too. So gear up, get ready, and stand up to the challenge. Your children deserve nothing less.
©️ 2018 Inspired Serenity by Kim Seymore
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