Support Single Moms With These 6 Easy Tips

We found 6 timeless ways for you to support single moms, but especially during Covid-19.  With social distancing and kids constantly at home it’s important we find ways to help single moms. 

Being a single mom is tough. You’ve often got no one but yourself to rely on when trying to juggle the kids, home and work.  Add Covid-19 to this mix and it’s no wonder that single moms are stressed and maxed out.  Now, more than ever, we need to extend our support to single moms. 

Our expert team has come up with 6 simple ways to help your single mom friends.

We Need To Help Single Moms During Covid-19

In the current scenario, most parents, despite having a partner or spouse for support, are struggling to balance life. Think of how much more difficult it is for single moms out there. 

Ever since Covid-19, single moms have been under massive stress and tension due to:  

• Fear of getting sick or catching the virus.
• Financial worries due to changes in work (reduced hours or sudden unemployment).
• Difficulty arranging child care due to closure of daycare centres or its high cost. 

For these reasons alone it is imperative that we find ways to support single moms.

And yet, instead of supporting and helping single moms through their struggles, some are quick to mom-shame them.  For example, during the initial days of Covid, a single mom placed a sign on her child while shopping.  She did this just to not be judged by the public.

6 Ways To Support Single Moms

“What can I do to help?” 

While this may be a simple question, to a single mother, it could be a lifeline. 

For yourself, this is the easiest way to step up and offer your support and assistance.  But, for a single mother, it gives them a chance to accept help, without feeling they are imposing! Moreover, it allows them to point you in the right direction! 

In fact, if you want to do something to support and help single moms without putting them in the spotlight, here are 6 surefire ways. 

1.  Help Single Moms With Home Maintenance

With cooking, cleaning and running after the kids, solo moms hardly get time to do housework.  Anything to do with general maintenance is often pushed to the back-burner.  

2.  Give Them A Hand With Chores 

Grocery shopping, carpooling and running errands are some tasks that we cannot do away with. These simple, everyday chores take up valuable time and effort, which may be short to begin with.  Help single moms and volunteer yourself and other family members or friends for some of these tasks. 

You could:

• Do her groceries or purchase her groceries along with yours.
• Run some errands.  Make a trip to the dry cleaners or the pharmacy. 
• Cook a meal or two for her.  This is especially useful if they are on a tight budget.  Take-out is often just way too expensive.  Either prepare some specific meals, or just do some extra when you are preparing for your own family.  Store them correctly, say with a vacuum sealer, and they will last for months in the freezer.  This will mean ready-made meals for an emergency on days when she may be too exhausted to cook. Cooking meals that are simple, tasty and kid-friendly will be an ideal supportive gesture.

3.  Help Single Moms with Child Care

The welfare and safety of our children is the biggest priority of every parent. As a parent on a single income, having regular daycare or babysitters may not always be possible.  This could be purely due to cost, or it may be she works outside regular hours. 

If you are at home with your own children, why not help single moms and offer to have them a day a week?  Especially if you have similar-aged children this can be great for you as your child will have a play-mate for the day.

We understand this may be tricky if there are multiple children but, with a group of friends we are sure you can work it out.   You will be providing her a reliable, safe and friendly environment for her children.

You could:

• Volunteer to babysit her children after school regularly or as needed. 
• Offer to drive her kids to and from school, or pick up and drop them from their activities.
• Offer to stay back and watch over a sick child.
• Arrange for play dates with your children.

By supporting single moms in this way she can work longer hours and strengthen her financial standing.  Knowing that she has financial security and her kids are well looked after will reduce her stress.  

She may even get some quiet time.  A chance to relax and wind down before she sets our for the rest of her day.  A well-rested and happier mom equals healthy and happy children. 

4.  Give Single Moms Support With An Emergency Backup-Plan

A super simple way to support single moms is by volunteering as her emergency backup.  Knowing that if something goes wrong she has a friend to turn to can take a weight off her shoulders.  For example, let her know that she can count on you to pick up a sick child or stay with them at home in urgent situations. 

Everyone needs a friend they can count on in times of need and you can be that person for her!

5.  Treat Her Right

Who doesn’t like a bit of pampering now and then?  Sadly, for many single moms there is just no-one to treat them and make them feel special. 

Any mom is busy catering to their families they often forget about their needs. However, this is especially true for moms on their own.  They simply don’t have, nor do they take the time to, pamper themselves. 

6.  Support Single Moms Emotionally

Everyone needs a friend.  A person we can share our sorrows and happiness with. 

As women, we need our friends for the good and the bad, so be a good friend and support her. Listen to her if she needs to vent or is looking for some advice in times of trouble. 

Encourage and appreciate her when she has a win and celebrate her happiness. That said, be a shoulder for her when things aren’t going her way.  We all need encouragement and this can really help single moms stay the course.

Try to include her and her family in your plans. This is especially true during holidays and especially during this Covid-19 pandemic.  Not being able to travel means she may have no other family but for you and yours.  Support single moms by simply being ‘there for her’.

To Summarise

There is no better way to support struggling single moms than by helping them overcome difficulties.  In these trying times for everyone, don’t wonder how you can help single moms in need. 

We have made it simple for you.  Just pick a method from our list and help her cross off tasks from her crowded to-do list.

Read more of our expert parenting tips for moms – 10 Effective Tips Every Mother of Boys.  Leave a comment, we love your feedback!