Archive for the ‘Summer’ Category
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Single Parents: How do I help my kid transition into their summer visitation schedule?
“The children in our area will be getting out of school in the next couple of weeks. I already know several kids of divorce that will be taking off the day after school is out. How do I send these kids off for the summer and let them know how much we will miss them?” (A children’s pastor) Many children of divorce have Read more…
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Single Parents: Summer months can be very complicated for your children
Summer months can become very sticky, messy, and complicated for mothers, fathers, and children in divorced families and single-parent homes. Divorce decrees can mandate that when school is out, and the children visit the other parent for extended periods of time. They may stay several weeks or even all summer with the other parent. In places with year-round school, the children might stay Read more…
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Question of the week: How do I greet the child of divorce after a long absence?
From a children’s minister friend: “I have several children who have been gone most of the summer. I suspect they went to the other parent’s home or to visit extended family out of town. These are kids we don’t really know much about. They just started attending our church last spring. When we’ve called or tried to contact the single parent this summer Read more…
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The importance of collections to the child of divorce
All kids like to collect things. Rocks, bugs, jewels, stamps, coins, and other small items become important to children. Sometimes the items are silly, fun things, while other times there might be a purpose to the art of collecting certain items. Some children turn their collections into hobbies. Boys who collect baseball cards and other sports memorabilia are good examples of collecting Read more…
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Question of the week: How can single parents overcome unique summertime problems?
Upon reading the post Dreading the summer as a single parent, a Single & Parenting leader responded with some concerns single parents had shared with her about the summer months. Daycare costs go up dramatically. One mom said she usually pays for after-school care and now will pay for full daycare. Her expenses are going from $250 to more than $800 a Read more…
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Single parent: free help with household chores!
Leaders: share this post with single parents! Parenting alone can be overwhelming. If you are a single parent, the following strategies can lift some of the burden of running your home: The responsibilities The chores The kids The car The laundry The appointments The kids’ activities The schedule changes The extra jobs or overtime So let me ask you: Are you up for Read more…
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It’s hard when kids leave for visitation. How can you help the single parent?
This is a tough issue. I have to confess I didn’t handle this one very well when I was a single parent. The first few times my children left for the weekend, I was lost and hurting. I have learned over the years how to approach this dilemma. This is one of those issues that unless you’ve experienced it or walked with Read more…
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Do you have single parents dreading the summer? Here are some ideas from an expert.
Today’s post is from guest writer Kathy Fallon.* Kathy shares with us her personal experiences of how she handled the summer as a working, divorced single mom. Share these wonderful ideas with the single parents connected to your ministry. When I was a single mom, I dreaded the summer. It was a time I still had to work, and the kids were out of Read more…
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“Breakthrough” strategy for single parent and blended family success
What if I shared with you that you have the power to change interactions between parents and children in single-parent and blended-family homes? What if this I told you it is a suggestion that single parents and blended parents can incorporate very easily into their schedule? What is this miracle I’m talking about that will change children’s lives and help single dads and Read more…
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How to help children stay connected to the long-distance parent
When a parent lives out of state and not close to children, it can be a real challenge to keep the relationship alive. However, there are several things you can do to help the long-distance parent stay connected. If the long-distance parent is in your church, offer the following suggestions. The main thing is to create a relationship with the child. It takes Read more…
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How to help the child of divorce when families blend
When children of divorce are being raised in a two-parent home, most people call these two-parent homes stepfamilies or blended families. Blending two completely different families takes time—and much effort on the part of the parents and children in the new family. And remember, there are two additional “other” parents outside the family trying to blend. Quite often, those of us in children’s ministry Read more…
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10 Suggestions to help children acclimate after returning home from visitation
Recently, I received the following question from a church leader who works with single parents and children: “I have a single mom whose young children, ages three and five, have been visiting their dad for the last six weeks. They come back Saturday. Do you have any advice I can give her as they transition back into her home?” First of all, I Read more…
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Family ‘vacations’ for single parents who can’t afford a trip or can’t get off work
Many single parents can’t take a summer vacation. It might be because of finances, or possibly they don’t have vacation time. Even if they have vacation time, they may not be able to go anywhere. Single parents still need to connect with their kids, and staying home playing, cooking, and just being together can benefit single parents and the kids. The answer might Read more…
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When kids travel to visit their non-custodial parent: The disconnect
The other day, I took a walk on the beach in the early morning and happened upon a dad and son. The little boy, who appeared to be about four, was frolicking in the waves and splashing water everywhere. As I approached the scene, I could tell what was going on. I’d seen it so many times before. It was summer visitation between Read more…
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Question of the week: What are you supposed to do when you suddenly have your child full-time for 4-6 weeks?
Hundreds of children’s ministers, DivorceCare leaders, and Single & Parenting facilitators are being asked this question right now as summer visitation interrupts the lives of many kids and parents. Let’s clarify what many single parents are worried about. It might sound something like this: “I live far away and don’t get to have my children very much. Now it’s summer, and I just Read more…
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10 tips for helping the single parent whose kids are on an extended visit to the other parent
Have you ever noticed that when summer rolls around, some regularly attending kids in your ministry seem to disappear? You begin to notice that along with the kids’ disappearance, the single parent is not active. You might have heard the children talking about visiting the other parent for an extended vacation, but what happened to their single parent who attends your Read more…
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What’s missing from your VBS?
Summertime in churches can be an exciting time for children as school is out, and churches are gearing up for Vacation Bible School or, as it is known in church circles, VBS. Rooms throughout the church are decorated from top to bottom. The teachers have been trained. Supplies, snacks, and treats are ready to go. Music videos have been practiced, and the gospel Read more…
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Summertime and the kids of divorce– how you can help
What do single or divorced parents do with their school-age children when school is out? This is a real dilemma many single parents face. The days are long, kids get bored easily, and events and activities cost more than the budget allows. Single parents often struggle to afford high-quality child care and recreational programs. Many single parents feel guilty over having to work Read more…
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How to help the child of divorce who has been gone all summer
Summer is almost over in many places. You probably have a lot of kids getting excited about the new school year. You are going to see kids wearing some of their new clothes to church. You might see some of them experimenting with a new backpack or notebook. You’ll hear talk of who gets what teacher and how excited they are or Read more…
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Got missing kids this summer? How to stay in touch with them and the single parent
Many children’s ministers and church volunteers will notice there are some children that seem to drop out over the summer months. Perhaps these are children who miss periodically but this summer you haven’t seen them for four or five weeks. These might very well be the children of divorce. Many divorced parents take advantage of summer months to have their children come Read more…
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10 Tips for Vacation Planning for Children of Divorce
Our guest blogger today is Dr. Linda Mintle. Linda is also one of the experts on our DivorceCare series. The tips Linda shares are great tips for children’s ministers to pass forward to the single parents. Thank you Linda for sharing with us today. 10 Tips for Vacation Planning for Children of Divorce By Dr. Linda Mintle Summer and holidays can be a Read more…
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With VBS coming up, attitudes and conversations can make a difference when you have a rambunctious group of kids
Summer is here, and recently I’ve been doing my early morning walk on the beach. In our part of the country we have a beach restoration project going on. This project involves ships, pipes 4 feet in diameter, tractors, backhoes, and other equipment needed to dredge the sand off the bottom of the ocean and pump it up onto the beach. It’s Read more…