I always wondered how single parents did it; Being a “Single Parent” When Your Spouse Is Away.
How did they feed their kids, get to work, clean the house and maybe, just maybe make a little time for themselves.
In the last few years my husband and I have had to live apart because of work. Our choice for now, therefore our choice for me to be a “part time” single parent.
It’s really not something I ever thought I would be, nor did I know how to be a single parent.
It’s the hardest thing I have ever done and I always say “hats off to single parents” with the greatest respect.
There are many reasons why people are single parents and many reasons why you might be a part time single parent.
My husband is away anywhere from 2 days to three weeks at a time and it’s never consistent. During those days when he is away, I struggle, I manage and I conquer what I can and that’s it.
I’ve had to change my perspective on our daily life and think only one day at a time.
Planning ahead used to be something I perfected and now I can only go day to day to get by. AND, that’s okay.
Here are some tips on how to manage being a “single parent” when your spouse has to go away (for any period of time).
Table of Contents
Organise, Organise, and Organise
Get organised for your day the night before. Pick out everyone’s outfits, restock the diaper bag, and prepare lunches and even dinner for the next day.
The more organised you can be, the better.
Double up on Meals
If you are spending time cutting up vegetables, cooking meat or making muffins, double up on meal making.
Make two meals at once that require similar ingredients and then add in the different items.
Then you can have two different meals for two nights and can always freeze left overs.
Meal Planning is also a great way to get organized and know what you are eating throughout the week.
Before getting your groceries, decide which meals you want to have.
Plan when you are going to cook them and when you are going to eat them. And trust me, there is nothing wrong with having left over’s or taking last night’s meal for lunch.
Chores
They are never going to go away but that doesn’t mean you have to do them every – single – night.
Pick one thing to do each night and rotate through your list: laundry, dishes, vacuum, mopping floors, dusting….the list goes on.
Don’t stress out about not getting everything done, it’s not going to make you feel any better.
Make a list for everything. Write down what you want to accomplish when your spouse is away and plan to do one thing each day or evening that they are away.
Change your Expectations
Just because you could get x number of chores done when your spouse was home doesn’t mean you can do the same thing when they are away.
If you change your expectations and set realistic goals, then you will achieve them and not stress yourself out.
Make Time for You
You want me to, what? Yes, I said, make time for yourself.
You still need some time to yourself, whether that is going for a run, working out when your kids go to bed, painting your nails after a bubble bath or sitting down and watching a little TV.
You need time to yourself; it will make you a happier person. This is probably one of THE most important Tips on Being a “Single Parent” When Your Spouse Is Away.
Ask for Help
This can be really hard to do and really hard to identify when you need to do this.
Asking for help isn’t easy but just give it a try and then return the favour when you can.
Find someone to take your children for 1-2 hours while you get groceries and put them away, walk your dog, meal swap with a friend.
Tips on Being a “Single Parent” When Your Spouse Is Away
Last but not least, take a selfie of yourself and your kids and send it to your spouse.
The kids will love getting the perfect shot and your spouse will always enjoy seeing happy faces at the end of a text or email and after a long day. So what do you think of this article; Being a “Single Parent” When Your Spouse Is Away.
Alternatively, check out this article on Professional Moms Who Date, How to Organize a Trunk or Treat Event and Potty Training your Big Kid with Huggies Pull-Ups.
I’m a soon to be mom and my husband is always at work everyday. Great tips. Definitely saving this for future reference. 🙂
Hope this post will help you out when your little one arrives!
Great tips; my husband has LONG work trips–like 2-3 months. I hate them, both because I hate him being away and then because I get used to him being away and getting to call all the shots. It’s hard to keep readjusting. But anyway, great practical trips. I’ll keep them in mind for when he leaves again Monday. :]
It’s really hard when they are away as I am sure you can relate. Adjusting to them being gone and then coming home is always a challenge. Hope this post can help, all the best!
These are great tips and when you can’t get everything all don e in one night I think it’s awesome that you just rotate and do it on another nightThe world wasn’t made in one day and it’s awesome that you have good friends to help out too.
Glad you liked it!
these are all wonderful ideas and i love the do one chore at a sort of , although i always can never loll, but definitely organize and plan those meals 😉 thanks for share
Glad you liked the tips! I had to take a step back and make things easier on myself because we can all get stressed out very fast if we try to do it all!
Thanks for the tips, its indeed helpful. I have been to that for a couple of years when my husband needed to work out of the country. Its quite challenging but I learned a lot