Encouragement for Single Moms This Mother’s Day: 5 Tips to Making Their Day Special
There are over 9.9 million single mothers and 11 million widowed women in our nation. For many of these women, Mother’s Day can be a day to dread instead of a day to celebrate. For the single mom working two or three jobs just to support her children, for the widow who doesn’t see a visitor all year long, for the military mom whose husband is deployed, Mother’s Day can be a day of loneliness and sadness.
In 2001, Danette Crawford Ministries set out to make Mother’s Day special for these moms who would normally go without the honor they deserve on their special day. Every year since then, we have registered up to 2,000 women and children free of charge for a five star gala celebration in their honor.
As the women enter, they are given the “red carpet” treatment. This includes a read rose or carnation as they enter, a delicious set down meal with their children, a special wrapped Mother’s Day gift, a card made by their children, and words of encouragement that last a lifetime.
Although you may not be able to hold an event of this magnitude in your community, there are ways that you can make a difference this Mother’s Day in the lives of those around you. The following are five tips to how you can make their day special this year.
1. Little Things Mean the Most.
Sometimes the grandest gestures of kindness may seem like the smallest. For a single mom who is juggling the responsibilities of being both mom and dad, having help with the “little things” means so much. I personally love Chic-fila iced tea. Now if you are not a tea drinker, or if you have never had Chic-fila tea, you have no clue what I’m talking about. But for me and those who can relate, someone getting my tea for me in the morning is a huge blessing.
For the busy single mom, like myself, who is juggling a million things, this is one less thing she has to make time for in her jam packed day. Taking out the trash, washing her car, picking up her groceries from the store may seem small in measure, but they speak loud to a single mom who has to do it on her own the other 364 days of the year. Notice the small things and step in and lend a helping hand.
2. Appreciation and Affirmation
I love hosting parties! I think I came out of the womb ready for a party. For each of my staff members, I host a birthday party for them each year. I have a tradition of speaking words of affirmation and appreciation at each birthday celebration. We go around the room and each person in attendance shares what they love most about the birthday girl or boy. And honestly, they have all stated over the years that it was the best gift they received that day!
People need to hear words of affirmation and single moms often hear it the least. This Mother’s Day, make it a point to intentionally share words of affirmation with a single mom in your life. Often, single moms work all year long without words of affirmation or encouragement because it is usually the father who stands by her side to encourage her. So pick up the phone, grab a pen or pull up your email and write something heartfelt that will make this Mother’s Day special.
3. Adopt A Mom by Including Them In Your Plans
Loneliness is a huge problem for many single moms. It can be very difficult for them to see people taking their “moms” out for Mother’s Day while they are stuck at home without finances to celebrate in any way.
Have you ever noticed how busy (and how expensive) restaurants are on Mother’s Day? One year as we were posting ads in local parenting magazines and papers, right next to our Mother’s Day Celebration ad for our free event were advertisements from local restaurants about their Mother’s Day Brunches. I thought to myself, how discouraging that must be to all the single moms because the prices were ridiculously expensive. At that moment, I had a “flash back” of me and my baby girl sharing a happy meal at McDonalds as our big night out! You may not realize it if you have never been there, but I know first-hand the financial struggles these women face daily.
This Mother’s Day, I want to encourage you to “adopt a mom” by including them in your plans. Trust me, they would love to have the invitation to go out to eat, to go to church, or just hang out with your family this Mother’s Day. They will be honored that you have thought of them and often times, the invitation alone will make them feel special and reassure them they are not alone!
4. Gifts For Those Who Give The Most
Single moms are giving 365 days out of the year. They are giving when they are tired, when they have spent their last penny, and when no one is there to appreciate them. Usually, when there is a husband in the home, he takes care of getting mom a gift. But what about the single mom who doesn’t have a partner at home to honor them?
This past Christmas, a local businessman contacted me and wanted to sponsor a family in one of our low-income adopted neighborhoods. This business man took three young boys, living in poverty, from a single parent home on a shopping spree at the mall. When they were asked what they would like to buy from the mall, their first response was that they wanted to buy something for their mom because she worked so hard all year long.
Maybe you can be the one to help children buy something for their single mom or maybe you can buy something for her yourself this Mother’s Day. Either way, it will be a gift that she will cherish forever. And remember, it’s not about the monetary value. It’s the thought that she will cherish the most!
5. Give Honor Where Honor Is Due
Seventeen years ago, I was talking to a newly widowed mom who only had one child. That child was far away and she would be spending Mother’s Day all alone. It broke my heart. I couldn’t sleep that night knowing the pain that she would be in on a day where she should receive honor. I remembered back at my first Mother’s Day as a single mom and how lonely I felt. In that moment, I knew I had to do something to honor single moms and widows who would be alone on Mother’s Day. I believe in giving honor where honor is due. So with a non-existent budget, I began the first Mother’s Day Celebration.
Now, 17 years later, we register 2,000 women and children annually for this life changing event. Doing something great for the single moms and widows in your life starts with one word, “honor.” I always say, “no one can do everything, but we must all do something!”
This Mother’s Day, just do something! Look for a hard working single mom who deserves honor and honor them. Make a simple phone call with encouraging words! Make an effort to make a difference. When I started the annual Mother’s Day Celebration, I was a single mom myself, believing daily for diapers and baby food. I could have had a million excuses not to do something, but I decided to press past my excuses and make a difference in someone else’s life. It turned out to be an even bigger blessing for me. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. Will you do something this Mother’s Day?
Danette Crawford is a powerful international evangelist, author, speaker, and TV host with a refreshing message of hope and encouragement. She is the President of Joy Ministries Evangelistic Association, which she founded in 1989. Joy Ministries, the outreach arm of Danette Crawford Ministries, organizes inner-city work with over 22 different compassion programs.
Image courtesy: ©Thinkstock/digitalskillet
Publication date: May 11, 2017