Parenting
Why “Nothing personal, but I don’t want to date a single mom” is totally personal
Way back at the beginning of my single mom dating shenanigans I fell in love with an older man. My kids were 1 and 3, his were in college. A few months in, I broke it off over a boozy Italian dinner. “Face it,” I said. “You don’t want to be running around with little…
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Stop calling your kids all the time when they’re with their dad
Do you talk to your kids every day when they are with their dad? Why? Or why not? How does this fit into your co-parenting rules and boundaries? Is it harder to co-parent with a difficult ex? My kids are halfway through a 2.5 week trip to Europe with their dad, visiting his family there.…
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The benefits of dating single dads
A few years ago, I went out a couple of times with a single dad whose daughter happens to be the same age as mine. We spent our first date talking about our kids and the challenges of parenting — and realizing we have a lot in common. For example, we both feel perfectly satisfied…
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Facebook is my babydaddy
I don’t have a husband. I have Facebook. As a single mom, there are lots and lots of things that I can handle really, really well. I run the house, make all the meals (mostly from scratch, I’m proud to say). I own a small business that does well enough to support us – with…
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A letter to my beautiful, beautiful, beautiful daughter
Originally posted 2013 Dear Helena, One day when you were a baby, Aunt Tina and I were smooching all over you. After all, what’s better than kissing a baby – all that smooth, perfect skin, those rolls of fat, all that love that just oozes out of them? Kisses and kisses and kisses. “We’re giving…
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A time management expert gave me a time makeover
My world was rocked by a recent New York Times piece about Mary Wells Lawrence, the iconic 1960s female advertising exec on whom Mad Men’s Peggy is roughly based. Yeah, it was pretty cool that this chick from Ohio blew into New York and started an ad agency in 1966 that billed $39 million in…
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Co-parent like a pro
Co-parenting is the future, and the future is now. Science is 100 percent behind collaborative co-parenting. It is not divorce or separated families that harms children — but conflict between parents, which studies have found leads to fathers being marginalized in the family, and distancing themselves partly or completely from the kids’ lives. Related: What to…
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How to run a single mom household like a boss
Running a household as a single mom 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…
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Why single moms don’t get to celebrate Father’s Day
Plenty of memes going around Facebook giving Father’s Day shout-outs to single moms who “do it all.” Make your way down the card isle and you will come across Hallmark’s cards, they have a half-dozen designed celebrating moms on this day. Cards read: “Happy Father’s Day, Mom!” “Mom: You’re the best! Thanks for being both…
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Stockpile Review: Give the gift of stock
Are you tired of giving the kids in your life useless gifts that end up in the trash? Would you rather help them learn valuable financial and investing lessons that can last a lifetime? If so, check out Stockpile — an innovative investing platform that lets you purchase stock gift cards that represent fractional shares…
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Dating as a single mom is the same as dating as a teenager
Sunday morning I had brunch with my brother Josh and sister-in-law Susan. They’re in their early 30s, don’t have kids, stay out late, and sleep in on weekends. In other words: They’re normal. Susan grilled me about my date from the night before while my little brother pretended he’d lost his hearing. “We went for…
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Affordable 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 recent survey found that 69% of single-parent households with kids at home are without…
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Shared parenting research (is it really best for kids?)
First, let’s establish this right away: Shared parenting isn’t right for families where one parent struggles with addiction, there is a history of violence or abuse, or severe mental illness. As of April, 2018 Kentucky became the first state in the country with a “legal presumption” for joint custody in divorce proceedings. That means that when you…
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The Single Mom Book List | What every single mom should be reading right now!
Readers are leaders! Whatever your single-mom related questions, issues, joys or challenges are, there is a single mom book for it. In fact, I wrote a book for you, too! Here is my list of vetted titles of books for single mothers, designed for you in whatever state of your journey, in no particular order……
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What to tell your kid when their dad is not involved
Dear Emma, When my daughter was six months old, her dad left and more or less never showed up again. There were a few visits for a few years, and a couple of visits to family court for child support, but since then we have not heard or seen from him. My daughter is now 8…
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I don’t live for my kids — that is my biggest gift to them
I recently overheard a mother proudly declare: “I live for my daughter.” Too bad for that little girl. And too bad for the mom. “My kids are my world.” Parents who make their children the center of their universes mess up their kids, mess up themselves, and in the case of single parents — make…
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Easy trick to forgive your ex (and anyone else you’re angry at)
Ever feel like your beef with someone – maybe with an ex, or even a friend or a boss – is getting to your head? Maybe you feel the negative effects of a grudge sending you spinning, weighing you down. I’ll admit it. I have a very active mental life, emotional life, creative life,…
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Parental alienation information center
I have written extensively on the importance of the movement towards shared parenting. There are 55-peer reviewed studies that prove that shared parenting is best for children in separated and divorced families — when time is split approximately equally between homes — including in high-conflict situations. Very closely related is the recognition by courts and…
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If you’re thinking of being a single mom
Are you a single mom? Single mom by choice? What advice do you give women thinking of having a baby on her own? Not a week goes by that I don’t find myself in conversation with a childless woman in her 30s worried about whether to have kids, wondering about being a single mom. The…
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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…
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