National Single Parent Day is on March 21st! This is a day that can support and encourage those parents who are holding down their fort all year long. According to a 2022 study by Statista, there are 15.78 million single parent families out there, and this National Single Parent Day is a day to know that you are seen and appreciated.
If you are a single parent, take the opportunity to plan a special day for yourself on March 21st. This could look like doing a hobby that you appreciate but don’t get to enjoy often or it could look like spending special time with those you love. Think about how you can invest in yourself emotionally, physically and spiritually because you deserve it! Maybe you can spend the day outdoors admiring God’s creation and mentally resetting, or you could catch a movie and enjoy some good snacks! Whatever helps you feel refreshed and refueled, make it a priority to spend some time on this for yourself.
If you are not a single parent, this March 21st, take time to encourage and support a single parent that you know. If you have family members, friends or colleagues that are single parents, take the time to simply write them a note or send them a text. Show them that you are proud of who they are and what they are doing. Ask them how you can be praying for them specifically or if there is anything that they need help with. If you are able, maybe even volunteer to watch their children on March 21st, so they have the alone time that they may not get often. Other ways to support the single parents in your life this month could be to drop them off a meal or a gift card to their family’s favorite place, volunteer to be their back up plan if their kids ever need a ride, share positive affirmation about their children and the way they act, or simply invite them out for coffee.
As a single parent, taking the time to set rhythms, routines and limits for yourself is helpful. Realize that you don’t have to be everything all of the time for everyone! Family life can get busy very quickly, and that is sure to run you down eventually. Allow yourself to come up for air, set some goals and plans, and enjoy the rest! Remember that through it all, you are not alone.
Soak up the truth and comfort in the following scriptures:
Joshua 1:9 “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults and with song I give my thanks to Him.”
John 6:33 “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.”
