Parenting
Are single dads better dads? Often, yes. Here’s why …
I’ve heard it time and again: While they they were married, he worked a bazillion hours, rarely helped around the house, barely made time for the kids and spent any free time or money doing whatever the eff he wanted. She was overwhelmed, angry, felt abandoned and worried – and the kids felt abandoned by…
KEEP READING →
Affordable 2020 life insurance for moms
Here’s the thing with life insurance for moms: You know you’re supposed to have it, but you probably don’t because you think it is not affordable. Guilt and stress ensue. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Mama, you’re not alone … A Genworth survey found that 69% of single-parent families with kids at home are…
KEEP READING →
Best online therapy sites for 2020
If you told me eight years ago I could find a licensed psychologist to come to my apartment in New York City for less than $150 and without spending months on a waiting list, I would have spit my latte right in your face. Today, though, it’s a different story – the utopian dream of…
KEEP READING →
OurFamilyWizard co-parenting app review: Cost, calendar, pros, cons
What is Our Family Wizard? Quick answer: OurFamilyWizard (sometimes mistakenly referred to as, ‘My Family Wizard) is a co-parenting app used by tens of thousands of parents to make it easier to share a calendar and schedule, text, share documents and information and other features for better communication — that can be used in court…
KEEP READING →
Why 50/50 shared parenting benefits everyone—kids, moms, and dads
After one meeting with my ex and our lawyers to negotiate the custody agreement of our divorce, I went home, busted out the calculator, and cried. I freaked out at the idea of being away from my kids for extended hours or days, and I need to know how many hours each week I would…
KEEP READING →
Best co-parenting apps of 2020
Co-parenting can be overwhelming, or even toxic. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Co-parenting apps can simplify scheduling, keep everyone on track. The right app might even make co-parenting communication, schedules, activities and contacts easier and more effective. Some single moms and dads use apps because a lawyer, judge or mediator mandated them to. But…
KEEP READING →
Co-parenting rules—even with a difficult ex
It is not divorce or separation that harms children — but conflict between parents, no matter if they are married or divorced, studies find. Penn State University sociology professors studied 2,000 married persons and 700 children and concluded that children that had the highest levels of anxiety and depression either had low-conflict parents who divorced or…
KEEP READING →
Are single-parent families whole?
There is a better-than-average chance that your family doesn’t look like the Cleavers. Traditional family vs. non-traditional family Today, two-parent, monogamous, heterosexual traditional families (by definition) are the weirdos. Statistically, they are a 49 percent minority — a figure poised to plummet in our lifetimes. After all, 57 percent of Millennial moms are unmarried (according…
KEEP READING →
Single mom holiday manifesto
I wrote this a couple of years ago, and revisit each holiday season for both myself and readers. I admit that the holidays are hard for me personally — so much pressure to make them memorable, spend more than I’m inclined to, and be cheerful when I often feel lonely and overwhelmed. Last year was first…
KEEP READING →
How to run a single mom household like a boss
Single-mom household management can be challenging. But with the right tools, organization, and support, you can become exceptionally efficient when it comes to managing day-to-day tasks. Because let’s get real: YOU DON’T HAVE A CHOICE! By using apps, outsourcing, budgeting, and automating, you can organize your busy life regardless of whether you have multiple children,…
KEEP READING →
31 reasons being a single mom is AWESOME (according to readers)
A while ago a member of Millionaire Single Mom on Facebook said: “I’m a new mom, expecting in a few months. What POSITIVES can you tell me about single motherhood?” I responded with a few points, and invited other members to share. Here is what we said: From me, Emma Johnson, on why being a…
KEEP READING →
7 tips for taking a road trip with little kids as a single mom
I am writing this from a plane with my kids on the way from our NYC home to Chicago, where we will spend two weeks visiting friends and family, and the places where I grew up in a small town in Northern Illinois. This pilgrimage has become an annual tradition. It started out as a…
KEEP READING →
5 friends every single mom needs
If you’re facing single motherhood – whether by divorce, choice or happenstance, you need support. All the freaking support you can get. The key in this new phase of life is to be strategic in choosing who your support system is. I’m not saying ditch all your old friends, or be a snob. But maybe you…
KEEP READING →
Hey single mom— Do you tell your son he’s the man of the house?
Ever since he was a tiny boy, my son has been a little dude. By this, I mean he takes on typically masculine roles. Even when he was 3 years old, he would make sure his older sister and I stood behind the orange safety line while waiting for the subway train — maneuvering his…
KEEP READING →
When should single moms introduce a boyfriend to the kids?
Short answer: Whenever you want. Growing up, my mom, who was divorced, dated a lot for a few years. I loved it. I loved watching her get dressed up to go out to dinner or dancing. I’d sit on her bed as she’d stand at the dresser and set her blond, permmed hair on rollers,…
KEEP READING →
Clean out your jewelry box and rid yourself of clutter
Clutter is the enemy, and not just because stuff makes your home a mess, your closets, and drawers difficult to manage. Clutter hold you back in life. Sell your bridal jewelry or other diamond jewelry to minimize this physical, mental and emotional clutter — and make money while you’re at it! Worthy is the leading site…
KEEP READING →
Share happy stories about your kids’ dad [co-parenting tip]
The past few months Helena has been obsessed with family stories. “Mommy, tell me a story about when I was a baby,” she’ll ask, and I’ll tell her about how once, as a sleeping infant, her laugh broke the pin-drop silence of one of New York Public Library’s reading rooms, eliciting a symphony of chuckles.…
KEEP READING →
Who deserves to call themselves a “single mom”?
Updated May 17, 2019 Below, you will find a polite, academic picking-apart of the who-gets-to-call-themselves-a-single-mom debate. It rages on, constantly, and after 7 years of blogging about single moms (and being one myself for 9 years), I have come to this conclusion: The argument about who is, and who is not a single mom is…
KEEP READING →
Why moms don’t have to tell your ex about your new boyfriend
I often hear from moms who: Say that their ex freaked out when he found out she was dating, and how should she deal with him? Ask how she should tell her ex about her new boyfriend. Are livid her kids met her ex’s new woman. [Why you don’t have to wait to introduce your kids to…
KEEP READING →
Why alimony hurts gender equality
I blindly grew up and into my 30s assuming the standard-issue feminist party line: Women’s work is uncompensated and undervalued. When women become stay-at-home mothers, that benefits men’s careers, and when the marriage ends, she should be compensated for that lost earning potential. Both partners’ lifestyles should be the same when the marriage ends! Then,…
KEEP READING →