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Ways to Show Support for Single Moms

By Jeaneane Payne

Being a single mom is one of the most difficult jobs in our world today. They have to make all the decisions, work at least one full-time job, do household chores, take care of car repairs, take care of the lawn, make household repairs, take care of sick children, help with homework, plan events, attend school and religious events, encourage their children to development their talents, and the list goes on -- all of this with very little encouragement and lots of criticism.

Single moms don't have time for themselves and usually have no money for entertainment much less a badly needed vacation.

For starters, men need to take care of their children. Pay child support, do things for your children. Children's needs come before our own. Their needs come before animosity towards an ex-spouse. The same goes for women. Regardless of whether your spouse cheated on you or lied about you, the focus should be on the children.

Even the few fortunate moms who do receive child support and cooperation from the ex-spouse still have a rough road to travel. Here are some ways we can help:

1. Offer to pay for a baby sitter
2. Buy a single mom some movie passes
3. Invite her and her child/children to dinner
4. Buy her a Wal-Mart or Target gift card
5. Buy her gift cards from several fast food restaurants
6. Buy her a gift card from a local grocery store
7. Buy her a gas card

If you belong to a church, you could start a project to help single moms. You could have a "Mom's Night Out" and provide child care service with activities for the children. You could also get church members to donate items for single moms. They could provide gift cards, gift baskets, potted plants, and other items by bringing those to the church for distribution. This could be done once a month or on a quarterly basis.

I recall when my now 26-year-old daughter was 5 years old, I was a member of a fair-sized church in another county and a single mom. On Mother's Day the pastor said the church had purchased roses for the moms. He asked all mothers to come to the front to receive their rose. I got up out of my seat and started down the aisle, and he said, "This is for married mothers only!"

A mother is a mother is a mother. We have the same responsibilities as those who have a spouse and more.

Let's show our support for single moms by offering a word of encouragement and by doing something nice for them.

Published March 29, 2011

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