7 Ways to Show Support To A Single Mom

Posted on Jul 30, 2017 | 0 comments

I have always respected single parents. Parenting is hard enough when there are two parents involved, but when you are maintaining a career, running a household, and being a 24 hour a day taxi service/chef/housekeeper for your kids on your own, that takes parenting to a whole new level.

I had always known being a single parent is hard, but I never fully understood how hard until I became one myself 10 months ago. After being a stay at home mom for nearly 12 years (raising my 2 stepsons and then 2 more of our own), the domestic violence that I had been keeping a secret for so long suddenly became life threatening and I had to leave. And all of a sudden, I was alone with my two amazing littles, completely responsible for maintaining some stability for them.

There was a lot of adjusting to do. There has been a lot of tears, a lot of fear and a lot of oops, that did’t work! But in between it all, there has been a tremendous amount of relief, of peace, of laughter. Friends showed me support at just the right moments, when I thought I couldn’t carry on any further. It is funny how one small comment or act of kindness from someone else can completely turn your mood around, change your day and help you to remember that there is a lot of good in this world.

Here are a few ways that you can show support to a single mom in your life.

7 Ways to Show Support To A Single Mom

Listen to her. Very simply, just listen to her. Being a single mom brings out a lot of emotion yet there is no one there at the end of the day to vent to. So give your single mom friend an evening call, ask her how her day went and just listen. Don’t try to solve her problems or give her ‘expert’ advice, just listen. Let her vent, let her get out her frustrations. Give her a silent, understanding hug if she cries or laugh with her if she laughs. Whatever emotion she is feeling, just be there and let her express it.
Have chore day. Enlist your entire family, roll up your sleeves and dive in and help her clean. Whether it is yard work, cleaning windows, vacuuming, cleaning out the fridge, whatever housework is needed, help out your single mom friend by just showing up and getting it done without being asked.
Invite her and her kids over for dinner. Remember, she has to cook, clean and entertain her kids every night. Giving her a night off from that is invaluable and very very much appreciated.
Offer her one night out with you babysitting for free. She can run errands, take a walk, go get a drink, meditate, whatever she may want to do knowing her littles are in good hands.
Offer to help by carpooling. Bring her kids home from school or sporting practice, especially if your littles are at the same place, is very helpful for single moms.
Encourage her. Continue to invite her to things and hang out with her as you would have when she was not single.
Appreciate her. Feeling appreciated is one of our basic human needs that can make us grow in ways we wouldn’t be able to without it. Us single moms do not get to feel appreciated very often so one of the biggest ways to show support to your single mom friend is to let them know how much you appreciate them with maybe a random little note, a small gift, baked goods, send them flowers, anything that lets her know you appreciate having her in your life. It makes a huge difference to an exhausted single mom!

These are just a few ideas, I would love to hear yours on how you can reach out and help the single mom in your life! I am super thankful for all of my incredible friends who have made the smallest (and largest) actions that have made me feel valued. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without them.

We all know one or two single parents in our lives, make today be the day you reach out and share some joy with them. It will be welcomed and may just start a ripple…

I know it will!

Malibu Mama Loves Xxx