When your last baby flies away, what’s next for you?
The years between the first time you see your precious little one after birth and the day they leave home are both endless and short. Before you know it, the tiny human you once held in your arms and stared at in awe is forging their own path under their own roof.
Married parents have the advantage of having each other when their children leave home. They have someone who understands their feelings and is right there in the middle of it with them. But what about us single parents?
We might think we’re prepared for the empty nest, especially…
Double dating isn’t just for teenagers!
Double dating can really benefit your romantic relationship, whether you’ve got a new flame, are contemplating taking things to the next level, or have been married for years. For single parents, whose time is often limited, it can also have the extra benefit of allowing you to spend time with a romantic partner and friends at the same time — killing two birds with one stone.
As adults, though, we often brush off the idea of a double date. It seems like a silly thing that only teenagers do. …
Maybe you think you’re being helpful but this advice just annoys single women (and probably men, too)
There was a time when being single felt like a flaw to me. If I didn’t have a boyfriend (or a husband), I felt like it said something about me and my character. Over the years, through a lot of work, I came to not only understand that being single is not a flaw but to actively enjoy being single.
There’s a freedom that comes with being single that makes getting into another relationship a little less inviting and exciting. …
Parenting isn’t easy but sometimes we make it harder on ourselves
I’ve been a single mom for 17 years. Though I firmly believe that all moms have it rough, regardless of marital or work status, it’s undeniable that being a single parent comes with some very unique parenting challenges.
Over the years, I’ve found there were times when I made parenting a lot harder than it needed to be. And when that happened, I needed to take a step back and evaluate what we (both me and the kids) were doing to figure out how to make things a little easier.
Do you sometimes feel like you make being a single…
If the only ritual you have is brushing your teeth, you’re missing out
Change is a good thing. It’s a great thing, in fact. Doing something new, something different, something outside your comfort zone, can build confidence and make you excited to try even more new and different things.
But even if you’re adaptable and enjoy change, even if you like the challenge and thrill of the unfamiliar and the new, there’s also something to be said about the familiar, the comfortable, the routine.
And that’s where rituals come in.
Now when I say ritual, I’m not talking about a human sacrifice or setting up an altar and doing witchy stuff — though…
The one thing you never have to think about doing is the one thing you should pay attention to
How often do you pay attention to your breath? I mean, really pay attention to it? Do you notice the temperature of the air as it comes in or out, the length of your inhale or exhale, or which nostril gets more air than the other at a given moment?
Most of us don’t pay a lot of attention to these things. Breathing is automated, after all — we don’t need to think about it to do it. …
Looking for some new ideas for meditation? Try these!
Meditations don’t have to be merely sitting in silence while focusing on your breath. There are a number of ideas on which you can meditate that can make your meditations more insightful. Consider glass, for example.
Glass is part of our everyday life. It’s used for fine works of art and you see it in ordinary household objects. When you think about it, glass possesses many characteristics that we can use to meditate. Hold a mirror up to yourself and ponder these 4 qualities.
‣ Meditation on Transparency
One of the first things we notice…
If you’re just getting back into dating after years (or decades) in a relationship, consider these possible changes from what you expect
If you’ve been out of the dating world for a while and now you’re stepping back in, you might be surprised at what you find. Many things have changed! The same tips you grew up with may not always apply today. Technology, cultural norms, and other transformations have created a whole different universe.
Consider these strategies for successfully navigating the dating world in today’s society.
Returning phone calls immediately
One of the older dating rules that no longer applies is making a new romantic partner wait to hear back from you. …
Finding Mr. Or Ms. Right doesn’t have to be as impossible as it might feel
Does this sound familiar? You feel you’ve found “the one” and you start to really get to know each other, but then something happens that changes the whole dynamic of the relationship. After that, you become doubtful about whether you’ve really found the person for you. You question not only whether the other person is right for you, but whether you even know how to pick the “right” person.
A lot of us have been there. You look back over your relationship history and realize this scenario has probably played out for you over and over again. Now you’re wondering…
Before you decide it’s time to move on, make sure you’ve forgiven the past
When I divorced my ex-husband, I had a lot of anger, bitterness, resentment, and hurt. He’d been unfaithful, abusive, dismissive, neglectful — in general, a lousy husband and father. I thought I was justified in my feelings. And I was.
But even when a feeling is justified, that doesn’t mean you should hold on to it forever. When I look back today, I can see how holding on to the things he’d done and the feelings I had as a result made my next relationships a disaster.
Forgiveness, the letting go and acceptance of what has happened, is key to…
