No one ever said parenting would be easy. And parenting after a divorce can be especially challenging for both the parent and child. In a small number of cases, receiving sole custody might mean that the other parent is unable, unwilling, or possibly unfit to be physically available, thus leaving them to parent alone. Here are some tips for parenting alone after divorce.

You Are Not The Only One

It is easy to feel alone when you are raising a child by yourself. According to Parenting Without Partners, more than 12 million families in the United States are single parent households due to a death, divorce or separation. Households with only one parent are becoming the norm and resources are readily available for single parents including single parent workshops, community groups, and counseling.

You can also find support groups for single parents online. This can be helpful for tech-savvy parents who don’t have time to attend traditional face-to-face meetings. To find these groups simply type single parent online support groups into your search engine. Before joining any particular group, try to find out as much as possible about the group and how it works. You may find that some groups work better for you than others.

The Importance of Filling the Gap

If your child effectively has only one parent, you may want to find a role model who can help to fill in the gap left by the parent not in your child’s life.

Some places to find a good role model include:

• Extended family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins
• Neighbors and close family friends
• Leaders in your church and community
• Coaches
• Teachers
• Mentors
• Big Brother-Big Sister agencies

Keeping Family Ties Strong

Finding ways to spend time with your children and their extended family can make all the difference in building strong family ties. Showing them that you care doesn’t have to come in a huge, grand gesture though. Children appreciate the little things that you do for them. Here are some ideas:

• Read a book to them before bedtime.
• Play a five minute game of hide-and-seek.
• Have a sit-down dinner together and talk about their day.
• Take pictures whenever possible and let your child decide where to display them in the house.
• Write your child a loving note and tuck it inside his/her backpack or lunchbox.

Take Care of Yourself

To be the best parent possible, remember that if you aren’t happy, your child isn’t happy. Take care of yourself and the rest will come more easily.

For more information on divorce or child custody matters, please contact Linda Sorg Ostovitz at Offit Kurman, P.A., email: lostovitz@offitkurman.com or phone: (301) 575-0381.

ABOUT LINDA SORG OSTOVITZ

Linda Sorg Ostovitz is a family law attorney. Her legal experience spans more than 34 years. In this time, she has served as a leader, educator and advocate. Mrs. Ostovitz holds a prestigious fellowship in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Currently, she serves as President for the Business Women’s Network of Howard County, by which she was chosen Woman of Distinction for 2014. Mrs. Ostovitz represents clients in Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll and Baltimore Counties. Her practice focuses exclusively on divorce litigation and mediation, child custody and access, child support, alimony, business valuation, as well as property and asset distribution. In addition to providing legal representation in court, Mrs. Ostovitz provides mediation services to help families come to a fair and legally-sound conclusion outside of the traditional court proceedings.

ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN

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