Remember those cute Mary Jane black patent leather shoes we used to wear with ruffled ankle socks or pretty white tights? To tell you the truth, I dressed our little girl, Tami, in the same thing. I also added more ruffles on her dress and in her hair. She was a girl, after all! People at church looked forward to what she was wearing each week. To be honest, we didn’t have a lot of money to spend, so I would look for the sweetest clothes at the lowest price at all the discount stores. She was my living doll to dress up and play with. If our daughter would have had a daughter, she would have done the same thing, because she is a girl through and through.
I have ministered to single parents for a very long time and it is always fun to see what their kids are wearing too. Even though they don’t have much money either, they work hard at making their kids look nice for a day at church. I remember single dads coming up to me with a couple of rubber bands at church and asking me to do their daughter’s hair. They just had no clue, and their daughter was crying because her hair was a mess. The little girl and I would find a chair and I would French braid their hair and send her off to Sunday School. So much fun for this mother’s heart!
I have always looked to see if a child’s shoes were tied or buckled so they didn’t trip and many a time, I would bend down and fix their shoes. “One, two, buckle my show.” I have always respected single parents and the job they need to do for what should have been the job of both mother and father. When a family splits, life gets so much more difficult as single parents take the sole responsibility of the kids and household, the finances, and raising their children well, as they try to heal from divorce damage themselves.
If you know some single parents, keep an eye out for how you can assist them. That might look like taking the kids to a movie or out to eat while the parent relaxes and gets things done. Maybe you can go and enjoy one of the kids’ games. Maybe take the family to the beach, out for pizza or mini-golf, to a lake to swim, a museum or anywhere else to help them build positive memories. Maybe surprise them with a gift card to the grocery store or a gas station. There are endless ways to encourage single parents and their kids, so why not become a hero and a cheerleader for a single parent family this year?
This week on Chained No More Talk Radio, our guest will be Matt Haviland, the co-author of “The Daddy Gap.” He has a huge passion to help single dads become the dad their kids need and to help single moms allow that to happen with healthy boundaries and guidelines. He was a single dad for 9 years and now heads up a ministry called “A Father’s Walk.” Tune in on Tuesday at www.toginet.com at 2-3pm ET to listen LIVE. You may also download the podcast later that day at www.toginet.com/shows/chainednomore.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Eph. 5:1,2
“One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, open the door….” How can you be an imitator of Christ to a single parent family today? Keep your eyes, your heart and your arms open. You can be a big blessing today!