What type of outings do you have as a single parent? Do you go alone? Find another single parent to hang with? Stay home?
Single Parent Outings
Going out as a single parent may be a daunting task at first, especially if you are recently divorced or widowed. When you are used to another adult partner, things may seem skewered at first. Like everybody else is part of a couple and you're not.
There are several ways to handle that feeling of isolation:
1) Stay home and pout. I don't recommend this. It's ok to have pity parties every so often, but not as a regular occurence.
2) Go out alone. You'd be surprised how many people go to the mall alone with their kids, or the movies, the playground, out to dinner, etc. Some spouses spend as much time alone as a single parent would on a daily basis.
3) Join a support group to meet other single parents. Through the single parent support group you can meet people with similar interests and plan your own outings, with or without kids. Single parent support groups often times schedule their own activities to enjoy. They may include adult only meetings, activities, fun nights or speakers. Involving the children is also fun, so they organize playgroups, children's events and family outings.
4) Just because you're a single parent doesn't mean you have to have single only friends! Find people from work with the same interests, other parents from school activities, members of your church.
An outing is what you make of it. Do you think you're kids are going to remember in 20 years how much fun they had with mom or dad on such and such outing? You bet! Making those memories are part of why we chose to be parents in the first place.
Go out there and do something. Make new friends. See new things. Explore new places. Whether it is a single parent outing or not, an outing is an outing that your children will remember forever.
