So, the Life Coach at www.singleparentfun.com has put together some great tips to keep you sane this year and to enjoy the time spent with the kids.
1. Plan ahead – begin planning your Christmas itinerary now and aim to let yourself do something you enjoy on a day you’re without the kids. It might be enjoying a film uninterrupted!
2. Last year was last year - don’t focus on what went wrong last year and dread the same happening this year. Make sure you don’t focus on potential negative events. Have you ever stood on the street looking for a red car and suddenly began to notice lots of red cars? Make sure you are taking notice only of the positive ‘red cars’.
3. Be grateful – write a list of just five or more simple things you value and read it aloud every day. Start each with Thank You for… Pin it on the fridge, or inside your bedroom door as a reminder.
4. Car boot sales – sell that junk in the loft to pay for extra treats this year.
5. Give yourself a present – allow yourself a treat without feeling guilty.
6. Don’t put pressure on yourself – Christmas Day only lasts 24 hours. In some countries it doesn’t even exist.
7. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy? – if rows with family or ex-partners are a feature of your Christmas, why not change things this year? Be clear on what you want and be sure you aren’t the one trying to score points.
8. Become a kid – enjoy a day off from being the responsible adult. After all, responsible means response- able, meaning you can choose how you respond.
9. Go away on holiday – let someone else do all the work for you!
10. Celebrate – the more the merrier! There are many people feeling the same as you. You could sit and wait for someone else to organise something, or be the first to say ‘Merry Christmas. What are you doing this year?’
www.singleparentfun.com is free to join and offers a range of discounts, holidays and days out, as well as the chance to meet other single parents who want to have fun with their kids, whatever their family or financial circumstances – working parents, or stay at home carers. There are lots of events to enjoy including a special Butlins Christmas Fantasy from 19-22 December.
Other days out include visits to Cadbury World, the Eden Project, Alton Towers and the London Eye and there’s a Great Ideas section on the site full of places to go and things to see. You can then rate your experiences for other single mums and dads to get ideas from on the message board, which also has sections on entertainment, food, work, money and relationships.
