Article:
With such a busy life, single mothers barely find time to take care of themselves and make meaningful relationships with others. They are often so focussed on necessities such as putting food on the table that they forget that friendships are also very important to a person's overall health. What's more is that there are many roadblocks that come in the way of single mothers making friendships easily.
One of the roadblocks is opportunity; single mothers often have very strict schedules consisting of work, dropping off kids to school, chores, and daycare. It's hard to deviate from this schedule because of all the responsibilities they have, so they barely get a chance to go out and make friends. This is related to another roadblock, which is time. Work and childcare take up the majority of a single mother's time so she doesn't have time to go out. The last major roadblock is singleness. Single mothers may find it hard to make friends because other mothers, especially married ones, may judge them for being single. They may not want to talk to them or get to know them. All of these barriers together make it extremely hard to find friends, something that is very important for a healthy lifestyle.
You may be wondering how you could possibly get past these barriers, but there is hope! First, try to identify situations in your everyday life where you regularly meet people. It can be the most surprising places where you make friends, so perhaps you can make friends with the people from your workplace, or with other parents at the daycare. Bring up the courage to introduce yourself, instead of just saying “hello” and “bye.” Then, you can schedule a time to hang out with them that works for both people's schedules. For example, you could take your kids on a playdate with another parent's children from the daycare. Just try to keep a positive mindset and be yourself!
Remember, although you may be tempted to ignore the importance of having quality friendships, they are one of the most important sources of support and happiness in most people's lives!