Family Help Tips for Single Parents

Family Help Tips for Single Parents - My hat goes off to all you single parents! You got a tough job doing it on your own. I know it's a difficult role to be in, so first and foremost I want to encourage you to keep your head up and keep plowing forward. You can do it, I know you can!

Here's just a few tips and ideas:

• Don't look back

We all have moments of regret when the "I wish I would have, could have, should have" thoughts come up. But the past is the past, and there's nothing you can do about it! What you do have is today, and today, you can make a difference in the lives of your children. Today, you can help steer your kids towards making right decisions and reaching their potential.

• Be a tough cookie and stick to your guns

Kids have this natural tendency to push until they get their way. But you gotta stick to your guns! My oldest daughter (now 18... wow time goes fast!) at 4 years old, could throw temper tantrums like you wouldn't believe! You do not know how easy it would have been to just give in to her and let her have what she wanted!!!! But, I couldn't do that! I knew I had to be stronger than her, because her character and future behavior depended on me not taking the easy route. So, sure enough, she knew, if she misbehaved, a spanking was the end result, consistently! Don't forget that tough love is real love!

• Add God to your equation

In Psalms 68:5, it says that God is a father to the fatherless. Seek God's wisdom and guidance when it comes to raising your kids and being a good parent. He is the ultimate source, not only of wisdom, but also of strength: Strength, when you feel all hope is lost, and strength to help steer a stubborn child in the right direction. I leaned on that strength daily when my kids were young (especially in the case of that one very stubborn child!). And, I still lean on him today for wisdom, now that my kids are going through the teenage years. The Bible has TONS to say about raising kids (especially the book of Proverbs). You don't know how many times I prayed to God this very simple, yet powerful prayer, "Help me Lord!"

• Know that there are no shortcuts and easy solutions
  

There are no shortcuts to parenting. You have go through the mud, the dense forests, the swamps, and the rough terrain with your kids side by side. It's not easy, but you're in it for the long haul! Yes, you're going to get dirty and it's going to hurt sometimes. There's going to be some scrapes and wounds along the way, but remember you're fighting for your kids! You're the one leading the way!!! You're fighting for their character. You're fighting for their potential. You're fighting for their future. And, all of these are well worth fighting for.

So, may hat goes off to all you single parents. If you don't get anything else from this post, then get this one thing: You don't have to take this journey alone! Look up instead of looking down! God wants to help you fill in the missing pieces and the gaps; to be there for you when this whole parenting thing is overwhelming! Amazingly enough, He will help you if you ask!