|
My book "Saving Our Singles - 101 Ways The Church Can Reach Single Parents" is
now available
for purchase. You may order it here via PayPal
or at
amazon.com. Parenting by One Tips for single parents:
Summer 2008
Emotional support
It is vital that you have a support group of some kind. You may
choose to have an organized group, or you may feel more comfortable
just sharing coffee with a few friends.
Keep an emotional first aid kit for yourself—this could consist of
something as simple as cards of encouragement or thank you notes sent
by friends and family. There will be days that you are tired of all
the responsibility, and feel no one knows how you feel. At these
times, pull out your first aid kit. You will see that you are
important, and you do make a difference. Save all your cards and
bring them out on those “two hanky days” when all seems wrong with
the world.
Remember, your children are just that: your children. They are not
your sounding board, nor are they your best friend. It is so tempting
to treat them as such, but it is not healthy for you or them; this is
another reason you need good friends.
Everyday living
Choose a landmark or familiar tree in your yard, each spring take
pictures of your children at that landmark. Not only is it fun to see
how things have changed in a year, it will remind you that time is
flying by.
Birthday parties in warm weather are especially fun, and lend
themselves to being less expensive to give. Pirate parties are very
popular now, and treasure maps are easy to create. Fill a treasure
chest with such treats as Mardi Gras beads and “gold” dollar coins
(the new ones really look like gold!) from the bank. Have eye patches
and pirate hats for everyone. Take digital or Polaroid pictures of
the mateys at the party to serve as a reminder of the fun they had.
Remember, love is spelled T-I-M-E.
Spring is a great time to clean out the closets and take clothing to
school consignment sales. If you offer to work at the sale, you will
probably get a discount, and more importantly, first choice of what's
available. This can be a great money saver!
Summer is just around the corner—if your child needs tutoring, save
some money by posting an ad at your local churches to find a
responsible high school student who can help.
Summer also means camp—be it church, scouts or ball team camp. Camp
scholarships are often available if you apply early. Ask about
discounts available for single parent families. Encourage your
children to go to camp. It is a good experience for them to become
more self-reliant, and it gives you a few days of down time.
Having trouble teaching little ones to sort clothes? Buy a dark
clothes basket, and a light clothes basket. They can readily identify
what goes where. Later on you can get into more specifics of sorting,
but this is a good beginning.
Need a quick dessert? If you find yourself in a hurry and need a
quick, easy dessert to take to the office or church, this will be
just the thing. It is crunchy, sweet, and salty. Every time I take
this to a party, I am asked for the recipe (which you can find
here). You can also use this as a simple
homemade gift to give during the Christmas Holidays. All year I look
for Christmas mugs or tins at yard sales. Add shiny foil and you have
a very attractive gift.
“Before you go to bed, give your troubles to God. He'll be up all
night anyway.” -Mary C. Crowley
|
