How To Get Me Time As A Single Mum Over 40
by Scarlett Lewis
Want a crash course in managing chaos with grace? Think single parents. According to the 2021 US Census Bureau, out of 11 million single-parent families with children under age 18, nearly 80 per cent were headed by single mothers.
A Pew Research Center study found that in the U.S. nearly a quarter of children under the age of 18 live in a single-parent household, more than any of the 130 other countries and territories they surveyed. Between first and second marriages, the worldwide divorce rate is about 50%.
This leaves a lot of midlife women struggling to be the end-all, be-all for their kids, and themselves.
I was a single mum for my entire parenting career. I don’t think I ever slowed down to appreciate the extent of this until I led a nonprofit organization. I realized then what a feat that was.
Receiving complaints about being overwhelmed and fatigued from vicenarians had me reflecting upon my pre-dawn wranglings where I single-handedly got my children ready for school, went on a long commute to work, and sometimes worked overtime hours. My days culminated in running solo for nightly homework, dinner, bathtime, reading, and prayer rituals.
