5 Tips to Help Single Parents Survive the Summer

Being a single parent can be challenging on even the most relaxed days, but summertime brings a whole new set of challenges. There are the heat and the bugs, the cuts and the scrapes, and the inevitable “Mom I’m bored” heard by every parent at least once over the summer.

For a single parent, vacations can be even more difficult as child care becomes a necessity and planning activities can be extremely challenging while trying to juggle a job and provide for the children.

Here are 5 pieces of advice from an article on the site simplemarriage.net, that although geared towards married moms I think would be especially helpful to single parents:

1) Carve out some “me time” every day. That may mean a few minutes before everyone’s up in the morning, or a time when the kids are around and know that you are to be left alone for a moment or two.

2) Share your kids. Pair up with another parent and give each other a break by taking all the kids out to the beach or some other activity. Even if only for the afternoon, it is a few hours of peace and quiet and time to get caught up on that juicy novel you were reading.

3) Keep a routine. Even though it’s summer, a routine will help keep the kids from spending the day in front of the TV.

4) Involve the kids in meal planning. Depending on the ages, kids can help with everything from heating leftovers to planning a nutritious meal.

5) Get outside. Sunshine is good for us, and the older kids get the more inclined they are to want to be inside on the computer or playing video games all day. Don’t let all that sunshine go to waste. It’ll be winter soon enough and we’ll be wishing for warm summer air.

Written by: Tricia Doane, Rust Built, Marketing Services