Day 91: Support for Single Parents

Being a single parent is hard.  Thankfully, my stint only lasted a little over one week.  I am exhausted, and thrilled that John is coming home.  I have missed him and his companionship.  But to be completely honest, I have also missed splitting parenting duties with him.  To be "on" 24-hours a day, meeting Isla's every need, soothing her squawking cries, changing her diapers, preparing meals, entertaining her, and waking up in the middle of the night to feed her, or reposition her, or change her...exhaustion is me.

But while I have been a single parent, I haven't been alone.  I am so grateful for the community that surrounds my family.  Loving parents and siblings.  Caring friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  Our community has stepped in, and let us know that we are not alone.  Both mothers were able to watch Isla on the days that I had to work.  We were able to snuggle in with my parents during the brief snow storm (it lasted only 12 hours).  And dinner plans with friends and family meant the evenings were filled with conversation and laughter.  No, we weren't alone.

My brief stint as single mom has gotten me thinking about those parents that truly are in the single parent role.  Life would be so complicated without a partner to share the load with.  Everything lands on your shoulders.  Everything.  Caring for your children, healthy and sick.  Working.  Making adequate money to pay rent/mortgage, bills, utilities, and food.  Maintaining your house and things so they continue working as they should.  Cooking meals.  Not to mention finding a few minutes for yourself to hopefully maintain sanity.  Life would be extremely challenging, and I can imagine that balls would begin dropping.  Can one parent really juggle all of that on their own?  

I went in search of groups and organizations that are available to support these families.   There are numerous single parent support groups that I found.  I would be fairly certain that most cities in the US have a support group.  But there are also organizations whose whole purpose is to relieve some of the stress, so that the parents and children can be more successful.  At work.  School.  Family.  Life.  Here were a few that I found.

• Project Parachute.  Their mission is to "help single parents by providing childcare scholarships and establishing single parent support programs across the nation.  Project Parachute provides childcare scholarships for single working parents, or for single parents furthering their education.  These scholarships allow the parent to choose a facility they are comfortable with, and in a convenient locations as transportation can be a challenge for single parents."
• The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation.  For the families with a critically-ill child, "within 24 hours, the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation helps with urgent expenses to allow single parents to stay at their child's bedside during catastrophic illness."
• The Conchetta House.  A nonprofit that provides free housing for single parents trying to earn a college degree.  Located in Washington state.
  

Good News For Isla (and me!): we have a father and husband that is coming home to us.  A man that loves us, provides for us, and shares life with us while carrying more than his fair share of the load.  And we have a community of family and friends that walk with us, supporting us and loving us.

Good news for single parent families: you don't have to do this without outside help and support.  There are organizations that can assist you and your family, either with emotional support, or more practically with monetary support.  To free you up and allow you the opportunity to finish school, or to work, or to spend time with your family and strengthen those relationships.

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