Single Moms Archives - The Mom Initiative

Your Children are Not a Statistic

I’ve done the research. The statistics for single parents and their children are not encouraging to say the least. From failed marriages, to increased drug and alcohol use, crime, and depression: the picture of children from single family homes is bleak. And it makes me angry. Not because I’m in a demographic that I never wanted to be in—isn’t that the case for most single moms? Not because the statistics always take a negative bent—I mean, seriously, almost every one. And, not because what they say has the power to keep some women in bad situations because they fear for …

REJECTION: Best Worst Thing

If you have ever felt rejected, it might be hard for you to as they say, “put yourself out there again.” Maybe you loved someone and you were not loved back. Maybe you lost a job you loved. When that happens, it’s easy to feel defeated and want to give up. You just want to want to curl up in a ball, and hide. That’s they way I felt when my 11 year marriage ended, and lost what I thought was a dream job. You might be surprised to hear that Jesus knows exactly how you feel. You’re not …

10 Things Single Moms Should Consider Before Dating

Hey single mom… I wish we were hanging out over coffee and chatting because I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there, so I understand how hard it is to be a single mom. Feeling the pressure and the pain that comes with trying to fulfill both roles of the mom and the dad is daunting. The physical, financial, and emotional strain of it all can wear a woman out. Motherhood is a beautiful thing but being a mom can be hard… and being a single mom… well, it’s just extra hard. I remember things like… Making a sandwich …

Make the GF Your Best Friend

So, he has a girlfriend. What now? Maybe she’s a fiancé or even a wife. What do you do? Whether you like it or not, the father of your children will move on, and so will you! How you deal with it makes a huge difference on how your children will deal with it. Make the GF Your Best Friend I know you want to hate her. I know you want her to wear a bigger size then you. I know this advice will sound like the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard. It’s not my advice. It’s from a …

The Redemption of a Messed Up Life

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I WISH I COULD CHANGE ABOUT MY MOM JOURNEY… especially from my younger mom life. I was a teen mom and a single mom, whose 3rd marriage was a mess, but Jesus changed everything. If I could share anything with the young mom teen and single mom that I once was, it would be to think through the decisions I make and how each of them would affect my children rather than just doing what seemed to come next… and to let Jesus pave your parenting path instead of just responding to the moment. Today, …

Dear friend: a letter for the end of a year

By now you know I didn’t get Christmas cards sent this year. Though I couldn’t squeeze out the time to get them done, I feel compelled to carve out this time to write you a letter. A real letter. There’s something I want you to know before tomorrow comes and we stand on the first step of 2014 and wave goodbye to the year that was 2013. There’s something I need to tell you. I looked back over our Facebook messages to remember that thing you said to me, but I got distracted, scrolling through all the things that …

Married Mom Meet Single Mom

When was the last time you encouraged a mom whose family dynamics looked a little different? According to a recent article in the New York Times, “41 percent of births in the United States occur outside marriage, up sharply from 17 percent three decades ago.” Research further suggests, these moms experience higher rates of poverty and depression. That’s a staggering number of women with children, minus a husband, out there trying to make it on their own. Single moms impress me. They work twice as hard with half the kudos. It’s tough to be two parents rolled in one. Sadly, …

The Life of a Single Mom

Subscribe today for your FREE copy of… FACING YOUR FEARS – 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M. By Guest: Jennifer Maggio She walks in the church and cautiously looks around with her four-year-old daughter in tow. She hesitantly makes her way to the back of the church and sits quietly, thumbing through her Bible, avoiding eye contact at all costs. She has contemplated this day for months. She wonders if she should be here. Does she really belong? A warm, friendly woman sits beside her and begins to make conversation with the four-year-old. The young …

10 Ways to Help a Single Mom

As the sun began to sneak a peek through the horizontal lines of my mini blinds, I was reminded that another hectic day awaited me. It wasn’t easy being an early bird and a night owl in the same skin, but as a single mom who was struggling to be all and do all, I didn’t have any other choice. Each day held its own basket full of burdens for a girl who wore too many hats and juggled too many plates. An overflowing to-do list is a constant in any mother’s life. There is breakfast to cook, lunches to …