Holding down the fort when you have a family is rough. There is always something that needs to be done. There are normal everyday things like paying bills, doing homework, and making dinner. Then there are the not-so-ordinary things like yard work, taking the dog to the vet, and scheduling appointments for the doctor, dentist, etc.
For single moms, this is even harder because they are the only adult and have to take care of everything. They don’t have someone to do the out of the blue, unexpected things. They have to take care of it all.
I grew up in a single-parent household after my parents got divorced, and my Mom had to do a lot. Shoveling snow at four in the morning to dig her car out to go to work. Mowing our lawn with a manual mower we bought from the Amish because we couldn’t afford a normal one. Not being able to afford to take off work to take care of me after I had eye surgery as a young teenager. Single moms sacrifice a lot.
Who do you know that’s a single mom? Your sister? Your best friend? What about your neighbor across the street? You know a random act of kindness would be definitely appreciated. Here are some ideas that these awesome ladies will love.
1. Pick up the kids at school- If she is running late at work or running an errand, offer to pick up her kids at school.
2. Take the car for an oil change- Ask her if you can take her car for an oil change on your day off. Sometimes getting into dealerships/garages can be difficult if they have limited weeknight and weekend hours.
3. Offer to clean the apartment/house- Offer to clean your friend’s apartment or house on a Saturday afternoon. Or at least help her clean.
4. Have groceries delivered- Ask your friend if you can do her grocery shopping online and have her groceries delivered.
5. Do yard work- As a family, mow the lawn, trim the bushes, plant flowers/landscape, rake leaves, and shovel snow. If you don’t have a green thumb, hire someone to do these tasks.
6. Help load groceries- If you see a single mom in the parking lot of your favorite grocery store, offer to help her load her groceries.
7. Pick up groceries- Many stores now have online order and pickup. If the single mom in your life gets held up, offer to go pick up her groceries.
8. Order pizza or take out- This is a great thing to do on a Friday night when everyone is tired from a long work week.
9. Go to lunch or dinner- Tell your friend to get a babysitter and take her to lunch or dinner. If she can’t find a babysitter and your kids are old enough, pay them a little money to watch your friend’s kids.
10. Take the pets to the vet- Offer to take the dog or cat to the vet if you have a day off during the week. This also works if her dog needs a groom. Just make sure they are going for routine checkups and that there is nothing unusual going on.
11. Take the kids on a play date- Offer to take the kids to the park, children’s museum, or another event so she can have some alone time for a few hours.
12. Buy a gift- This could be anything from a book or movie to some luxurious bath soap or a subscription box (think makeup, beauty products, books, candy, etc.).
13. Gift Cards for Gas- Put $25 on a gift card and tell her to keep it in her glove compartment in case she is ever low on cash and needs gas.
14. Invite your friend for dinner- Have her and her kids over for dinner one night.
15. We Scream for Ice Cream- Give her a gift card to Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, or the local ice cream shop so she can treat her kids to a sweet treat one summer night.
16. Gift cards for restaurants- Give her a gift card so that she and her kids can have a nice dinner out.
17. Take over a sweet treat- If you decide to bake some sweet treats, double your batches and share.
18. Help unload groceries- Help your friend or neighbor unload their groceries and take them into the house.
19. Buy a card- Buy a card and leave it somewhere your friend will find it like on her countertop, the front porch, or the dashboard of her car. Even better, send her a Mother’s Day card telling her what a fantastic mom she is.
20. Write an inspirational/encouraging note– Write a letter of inspiration or encouragement and send it to your friend in the mail.
Another idea is to adopt a single mom. Ask around in your church or another organization that you are affiliated with if there are any single moms. If so, see if you can be introduced and “adopt” her and help her out for a month.
These moms that do it all deserve to be noticed and thanked. Take some time to honor the single Mom’s in your life today with an act of kindness. Don’t forget to give them a kindness card so that they can pass it on and pay it forward.