Being a single parent is tough. Finding single parent support is tougher, especially if you have a tight budget. Following are some places to find single parent support whether you want it in the form of friendship, playgroups for the kids or finding a mate for yourself.
Support
This group is called Single MOMS, which stands for Mothers On a Mission. They are an International Non-Profit group for Single Moms and Dads and offer free memberships. Within their group they have local chapters which meet to share advice, ideas and fun times. They offer local babysitting clubs and organized activities.
From their website they say they are "dedicated to providing assistance to the single parent family...Single Mothers, Single Fathers, Widows, Widowers and Grandparents."
Check their website for a chapter near you:
http://www.singlemoms.org/
Parents without Partners may be the largest group for single parents, created in 1957 in New York City. They offer memberships varying in price depending upon which chapter you want to join. Fees can range from $20 to $40 to join. The only requirement is that a person is a single parent (custody of the children does not matter.)
They offer many organized events for both men and women as they have a split membership. Fifty five percent of members are female and forty five percent are male. They have parent/child functions, child activities and adult only gatherings.
Check their website for a local chapter near you:
http://www.parentswithoutpartners.org/
Dating
All adults like adult interaction. If you are looking for a date, going online is a great place to browse before committing to a date. There are a couple of places designated as being for single parents, but use caution.
The first one is free to register. I didn't even need to register to browse the profiles. What I did find in the profiles surprised me though. The first whole page was listings of men with no children! I thought single parenting involved KIDS. After looking a little deeper, there were men with children listed. Overall, I didn't feel that it was any different than a regular online personals site.
http://Singleparentsmatcher.com
The next site claims it is for single parents looking for serious relationships and marriage. The first several profiles I checked were men who did have children. The drawback is that the searching is limited to a country. You have to scroll through the US listings to find someone in your state. To contact anyone you have to become a member.
www.singleparentlove.com
Your local newspaper will also have a section with meeting times for different single parent support groups which are non-profit. Hospitals, libraries and churches all host many events, so keep looking. If more professional support is needed, start with your family doctor. They will be more than happy to help you seek support in your single parent status.
