5 Sure-fire Strategies for Successful Single Parenting in 2024
Parenthood is a lifelong journey that comes with its highs and lows. Everyday marriages break up, people die, and people adopt children alone. The rate at which single parents spring up continues to increase for various reasons.
Parenting with an in-house partner is hard work by itself, the stress from single parenting can then only be imagined. Whether emotionally, physically, or even psychologically.
Single parenting is definitely difficult but there are sure-fire strategies to emerge successful in it. Having a support group you can lean on, accepting your new reality and opening up to the right people can help you in more ways than you will ever imagine. Keep reading to find out five sure-fire strategies for successful single parenting in 2024!
1. Let Go of Guilt
Many single parents need to see this.
It is not your fault.
The divorce isn’t your fault, your spouse’s death isn’t your fault and it’s most definitely not your fault for wanting to raise your child on your own.
Let go of the past and guilt that continue to eat you up. All it does is stand in the way of you being an efficient parent to your kids.
Let go of your past and accept your present while holding on to your future.
It is hard enough being a single parent, don’t make it harder on yourself by hating or blaming yourself for things that were beyond your control.
Make peace with your situation and accept your reality. Dwelling in guilt will only weigh you down, cause more stress and obstruct your productivity. Be proud of how far you’ve come and how well you’re handling things.
These little graces you give yourself will give you extra strength to keep pushing.
Your goal is to raise a happy and healthy child. Don’t deprive your children of the best childhood and future they could ask for by holding on to your guilt and past.
Create a vision of what you want your kid’s future to look like. The vision you have for your children’s futures will help you to stay motivated and press on. Don’t lose sight of that vision.
Let go of guilt. Look to the future.
2. Assemble A Support Squad
When you find yourself in a situation that is out of your control, it’s okay to rely on helping hands. Don’t be too shy, afraid, or proud to raise a white flag and ask trusted people around you for support.
You must remember this:
You are not alone! You have people that are willing to support you.
They might not be relatives. They might be neighbors or even church members or a close work colleague. Someone out there is willing to lend a helping hand if you are willing to ask for help. Don’t deprive yourself of help by not making use of these people that you are surrounded with.
Join a community of single parents just like yourself so you can get handy tips on how to tackle some challenges that others have already experienced and successfully handled.
If you need to register for therapy, do just that. Sometimes you need to find a consistent outlet to be able to move on and record progress in your life. It doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t mean you are not good enough.
Never for once doubt whether you are good enough for your children or not.
You are good enough to take care of your children. You are everything they need to become who they were meant to be.
When you start feeling overwhelmed and you just can’t take it anymore, assemble your support squad. Call your friends, call your pastor’s wife, call your neighbor, call your family. You are not alone in this!
3. Practice Self-Care
Self-care here is not for your kids. It’s for you. Yes, you.
Learn to treat yourself properly. It is very easy to get caught up in trying to be there for your kids at home, in school, at the hospital, in church, at basketball practice, team meets, ballet recitals and so many more.
Take a deep breath and ask yourself:
When is mommy’s time?
You need to be kind to yourself too. Especially if you want to stick around long enough to care for your kids and be in good health.
Take short power naps in between chores. Create fifteen or thirty minutes of “you time” where all you do is feed your soul and strengthen your mind for the day ahead.
This tip is very important so you don’t start losing it.
Meditate, pray, study your Bible, read a book, do anything you feel will help strengthen your mind for the tasks at hand and watch yourself gain mental fortitude to take on the day’s challenges!
Soak yourself in warm baths and scented oils every once in a while.
The image of the burnt out–messy-haired–dark circles mom is not a badge of honor and it doesn’t look better to your kids either. They deserve a healthy, beautiful-looking mom to help them see that life can be bright and beautiful even after a storm.
Take care of yourself. If you truly love and want to give your babies the best, take care of yourself. It’s the only way you will be able to function effectively as their parent.
Remember that exercising, using skin care products, eating balanced meals, and giving yourself treats don’t make you a bad parent. It also doesn’t mean you are selfish. You deserve it. After all that hard work? You definitely deserve it!
4. Know and Make the Best Out of Your Limits
Learning to give yourself grace is one of my favorite sure-fire strategies for single parenting. Do that which is in your capacity to do.
You might have to order dinner so you can help with homework and do the laundry. That’s perfectly okay. You are not a bad father. You might need to ask your next-door neighbor to check the faulty extension box. Again, it doesn’t make you a weak mom.
You might not be able to do everything that needs to get done but you can do everything you are capable of doing. Every other thing can be handed over to someone else that can do what needs to be done.
Know your limits and make the best out of them.
See yourself exactly as you are– a parent.
You are not two parents in one. You are a parent. One person. It’s when you start trying to force yourself to function in two parental roles that it becomes even more overwhelming.
If you can do both roles without sacrificing the other and losing yourself, no problem. However, if you find some tasks difficult to accomplish, accept that and get the necessary help. Some people are professionals in that field for a reason. Procure their services.
The fact that you can do all things (like in Philippians 4:13) doesn’t mean that you should, or that you have to. Know your strengths and accept your weaknesses.
5. Practice Open Communication
Communication is one of the tips for successful single parenting in 2024. It is key for any kind of relationship to work, and this is true with your kids too.
Practice open communication with your kids, your mom, a counselor, your babies’ pediatrician, etc. If there’s anything you’re having trouble understanding, ask people with experience in the field.
It might be difficult putting yourself out there, especially if you’re the type that hates to feel pitied or feel like a burden. Still, do it for you and your kids.
It’s okay to not feel okay all the time. Some days are harder than others. It’s okay to not be a superhero at that time.
It’s okay to be a single parent. It’s okay to be a single mom.
You might find yourself reliving the grief of your spouse’s death or breaking down while watching your special child. Practice communication as often as you can, but make sure you do on those kinda days. It will help you overcome the challenge.
If your co-parent is still alive, reach out to them and try to work together on how you want to raise your kids. It might be difficult to deal with the cheating, or with the thoughts of exposing your kids to a stepfamily, but you shouldn’t be selfish with them.
You shouldn’t deprive your kids of the experience of having both parents if it will be possible. Whatever issues you had with your partner, stay with your partner. Don’t starve the emotional and psychological needs of your children to prove a point. Except your partner has been deemed unfit to cater to your children, you should work together to give your children the best parenting they could ever get.
Final Thoughts
The path of parenting is not a lonely road like many single parents think. It really isn’t. There’s a popular saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.”
There’s an entire “village” of concerned, experienced, and skillful adults that are ready to hold your hands and hug you during stormy nights. Don’t push them away.
Sometimes, you might have to reach out to them yourself. Don’t hold back. Go for what will give you and your babies a happy, stress-free life. At the end of the day, isn’t that all that matters?
All images are sourced from Istockphoto.com
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