Search Results for: blog single parents summer and community

Summer Activities for Single Parents and Kids

Of course, all of those fabulous family-friendly activities that are all around us and available in the Summer months apply to single parent families too, but when you are a solo parent looking for something to do with your child or children, you DO have some special considerations. For example, we may need activities that are easy on the budget, that take place during non-work hours, or ones where we can keep track of our children relatively easily if there is only one parent. Many summer activities for kids happen during the day, but there are still plenty of evening … Continue reading →

Summer Tip–Stick to a Schedule (within Reason)

For a busy single parent, summer time can be chaotic. With the kids out of school and vacations and events, there is often much more to do than we can reasonably manage. Although summer time may be known for its freewheeling reputation, for a single parent, having a schedule and sticking to a plan for the days of the summer can be the best approach. Of course, we need flexibility—and we need down time and unscheduled leisure too, but as a single parent, we also need enough structure to make sure that the kids are cared for and entertained, work … Continue reading →

Is There Any Way to Delay the Coming of Summer?

Summer time and single parenting can be challenging (to say the very least)! With school out, we single parents have to coordinate child care, summer camps, visits with family and other parents and all sorts of other summer-only details. It is no surprise that we might be clinging to May and hoping against hope to delay the advent of summer just a little while. As my children have gotten older, summer has become less of a stressful three-month period than it used to be. I hope this will provide a little encouragement to those of you who are still wrestling … Continue reading →

Support for Single Adoptive Parents

How can single adoptive parents best find support? Sometimes they feel conspicuous at adoptive parent gatherings, since so many adoptive parents are couples. Other single parents may have trouble commiserating with the single adoptive parent, feeling that the adoptive parent chose to raise the child alone while many single parents were unexpectedly thrust into their situation. Single parent support groups may focus many of their discussions on dealing with ex-spouses and on financial and legal matters. Single parents create networks of support within their extended families and communities, and with other single and/or adoptive parents. These informal networks provide support … Continue reading →

Single Parents, Summer and Community

Kori touched on something in “Summer and the Single Parent” that I think needs to have more information added to it. She of course mentioned tapping you support system in the summer, which I completely agree with. She also mentioned community. Community to me is important, though it isn’t important for everyone in my community, nor is it important to a lot of communities now a days. Communities are growing further and further apart for a lot of reasons, but I digress. Most, if not all, communities offer activities for their community members to be a part of. There are … Continue reading →

Summer and the Single Parent

I don’t know about you, but in the years since I’ve become a single parent—I dread summers! Summers are definitely the most challenging time for me in terms of keeping track of the children, making sure they are cared for and their time is reasonably structured and we are able to do at least some family summer stuff. All this while continuing to work and run the household. Without the inherent structure of a school day and extracurricular activities, summer time can be a struggle for the single parent. In addition to the time management aspects of the summer vacation, … Continue reading →

Hot Summer Fun

Now that the school year is coming to an end, many parents will need to make alternate childcare plans. For most single parents with younger children, daycare will be the place they will most likely stay throughout the day during the summer months. Older school age children, who are not able to be left unsupervised during the day, and who have been in the daycare setting for several years, may feel that traditional daycare can be less than ideal for them during the summer months. In order to help relieve the doldrums of summer, many daycare centers are creating a … Continue reading →

Don’t Let MTV’s “Jersey Shore” Stop You From Visiting the Jersey Shore

I used to spend summers in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. No joke. Each year my family would leave the sunny shores of Hilo, Hawaii, and fly 5000 miles to Newark, New Jersey, to visit my parental grandparents, 44 aunts and uncles, 60 plus cousins, and the rest of my dad’s humongous family. During week two of our annual trips we’d load up the clan and head down to the shore. It’s where I visited my first water park (Rainbow Rapids) and witnessed my first ever seaweed-entangled hypodermic needle floating in the white wash near Point Pleasant Beach. Ah, the memories. … Continue reading →

My Favorite Book Reviews of 2008

Most of my readers won’t be surprised to learn that I love to read—kids’ books, adult books, nonfiction, picture books—anything. But even I was surprised to learn that I’ve reviewed over 45 books this year. Since many bookstores have post-holiday sales, and since many of us were fortunate enough to receive bookstore gift cards, I’m challenging myself to pick my favorite “top twelve” of the adoption books I’ve reviewed this year. I began the year by starting a series: Adoption Books with Great Art. Although I’m a “word person”, I’ve become increasingly moved by the beautiful ways some artists can … Continue reading →

Who Can You Count On?

If the saying is true that it “takes a village” to raise a child, then the single parent might want to consider a “city” as resource. After all, we are often told that it is all about the “support system” when it comes to being a successful and happy single parent. But, in reality, when the chips are down, who can you count on? It is important to have not just a general idea of who your “support system” is but a good understanding of who those people are who you know you can really count on no matter what. … Continue reading →