Life as a single parent is very tough. Make no mistake about it, it’s harder than it is to look after a child with another parent by your side. You’re taking on all of this responsibility on your own, so it’s only natural to feel stressed and overwhelmed from time to time. 

Today, I want to bring some important words of wisdom for all single parents to read. Firstly, don’t you ever think that you can’t do this. You absolutely can be an amazing parent, and you have a lifetime to prove this. Things will be different for you compared to some of your friends, and that’s okay. 

If you’re looking for advice or reassurance, here are some key things to always keep in mind:

It’s okay to ask for help

Never feel ashamed of asking people for help. Single parents often think that a cry for help shows they can’t do their job as a parent. This is not the case at all. It’s natural to need help when you are juggling one million and one things at once. 

If it feels like things are overwhelming you, and you need some support, reach out for it. There are different ways you can do this. Obviously, you can ask family and close friends for help. If you have good relationships with them, there’s no reason they won’t jump at a chance to help you. In fact, it’s possible they want to help already, but they feel bad for asking if you need support. Or, you might make it seem like you have everything covered, so they don’t even know you’re struggling. 

Aside from this, there are support groups like Embrace Grace that you can join. Here, you get lots of advice and support from other people in similar situations to you. This is often one of the best ways to feel better because you see other moms in the same position as you – as well as ones that have been through it all before. You don’t feel alone anymore, making it easier for you to handle the whole situation.  

Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes

You’re bound to make mistakes now and then – all parents do this. It could mean that you’re late picking your child up from school because you lost track of time. Maybe you burnt the dinner because you were changing your baby’s diaper. 

These things happen, it’s as simple as that

Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes because we all make them. Parents with partners supporting them will still make mistakes. You can feel like a failure when you do something wrong, but the reality is you only feel like this because there’s no one else by your side supporting you and lifting you up. Single parenthood can be lonely, but you should never feel like a bad parent if you make a mistake or two here and there. 

I guess the most important piece of advice is to find as much support as you can. It could be through family members, support groups, or even things like childcare centers. Just because you’re a single parent, that doesn’t mean you have to do everything on your own.