How To Survive A Divorce

Advice for Parents Who Find Themselves Suddenly Single following Divorce

Advice Seeker: Dear April,

My husband just decided to leave me out of the blue, and I'm a wreck! Not only am I trying to deal with my own emotions about the situation, but I have three small children. I'm trying to keep their daily lives normal and usual while trying to explain to them where their dad is. Do you have any advice for how I can get through this tough time and keep my kids happy?

Sincerely,

Suddenly Single Mom

April Masini's advice:

Dear Suddenly Single Mom,

Going through a separation can be difficult enough, but when you're suddenly left caring for your children by yourself, life can get extremely overwhelming. There are, however, some things you can do to retain some of your sanity when going through this tough time.

Five Tips For SUDDENLY Single Parents Who Need Help:

Take care of yourself. If a plane goes down, you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, before you can help your children. While being a single parent is not exactly like going down in a plane, the point is if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your kids.
Consider frozen food. Don’t worry about a home cooked meal every night. Consider frozen food, take out food and don’t feel guilty. Discover salad in a bag and rotisserie chickens pre-cooked in the market.
Make friends with other suddenly single or single parents. They understand what you’re going through and can offer help, support while they and their children are great friends for you and your children.
Hug your child more than ever. Your child needs to know that you’re there for them during this transition. They need more love and affection than ever.
Never bad-mouth the other parent in front of your children. It's really easy to lose your temper because of the situation and get mad at him or her, but while it's understandable, it's bad practice.