What you’re doing IS hard work, so take a moment and give yourself a pat on the back for being a mom to your child even though it’s very difficult. 🙂
It’s easy to sink into overwhelm when you’re a single mom in any situation, so let’s try to look at some productive things you can do to change the situation you’re in:
1. Make sure that you have court ordered child support that is the correct amount, and not just a voluntary amount of money that your daughter’s father has chosen to pay. Since you have full custody of the child, you should be getting a decent amount of support. So go to the court house where you live, and file for a support order if you don’t already have one. That will increase your daughter’s resources and make things a little easier.
2. Get a driver’s license! If you could drive, your whole world would open up, so find out how to get a driver’s license and focus on that. If you have one, you can borrow your mom’s car and do errands for the household, like grocery shopping, post office runs and banking. You can take your daughter with you, so that both of you get out of the house — and you’re chipping in with the chores.
3. Find a support group in a way that’s win win — and the way to do this is find your local park where other mothers and fathers take their children to play. Go regularly, and talk to other adults. You’ll find a dearth of other single parents for social and emotional support and fun. You’ll also hear tips on how other single parents are making things work.
4. Pool the resources you do have with other single moms. Share babysitting time with another mom or dad or two in your neighborhood. If you each babysit each other’s children for three hours a week, you’d get a three hour break for yourself, as well as a playmate for your daughter. This resource is especially helpful because if you do happen to meet a cute single dad at the park, and want to go on a date, your parent babysitting pool will come in handy for giving you safe child care while you have a date!
I hope these tips help and you get some respite from the daily grind. Good luck!!
