Do you have a single parent tribe or at least two people to do life with during your single parent season? I enjoyed this part of my own journey for seven and a half years and tried to be very intentional with how I planned my “family time” and my “alone time.”
Family time can be defined in a variety of ways: 1) time with my biological children; 2) time with my children and extended family; 3) time with my children and other single parent families… the list can go on. The most important part of this is to continue to highlight and celebrate being a family, even when there is just one parent present. The love and stability of a single parent family can be a complete blessing and delight to the children in the family – the kids all take their emotional cues from the parent. If the parent operates and is intentional to have family game nights, family devotions, family trips, family movie nights and make family memories, then those will be a positive and powerful part of the kids’ childhood.
The other important part of this season of single parenting is how a person spends their “alone time” when the kids are with their other parent. First, we want to be sure our cup is full and that we are spending quality time with the Lord. Just like a car cannot operate without fuel in the tank, we cannot operate at our best without our Spiritual life being active and the top priority! Instead of getting on social media and Facebook, let’s get our face in the Book of Life and allow the Word to permeate and ignite hope and healing within us. When the Lord is our stability and our top priority, then we can function with more joy and hope than if we are spiritually depleted. Sometimes this means we literally sit down and open the Bible and just start reading. It doesn’t always “feel good” when we start; however, the Lord promises to be Present and to meet us individually and to refresh our spirit. When we start with the Lord and then add in healthy, Godly friends to spend time with, our “alone time” doesn’t seem so alone. I also suggest finding other people to serve – elderly people, disabled people, homeless people. Finding others who can truly benefit from our time and our friendship is a way to give God’s love to others and it has a powerful way of refilling our own tank at the same time.
As this new year begins, it is the best time to start new habits and develop new hobbies. Let your kids know that you are excited about planning family time every month and draw them into the gameplan. Then also make an intentional “God plan” to spend time in the Word, followed by a “fun plan” with others while the kids are away so that when the kids return you are replenished and spiritually healthy. The Lord will be with you ever moment of every day – you are never alone!
For more ideas and articles about single parenting, or to take the “One Heart, Two Homes” video course, please come to our website at www.CoparentingInternational.com –
Psalm 103: 17 “From everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children.”
Tammy Daughtry, Founder of CoParenting International. For more free resources please see www.CoParentingInternational.com
