As a parent traveling with young kids all by yourself, it’s easy to think that it will be very hard to get through. It’s an ordeal that some single parents do not delve into, if it can be avoided. But lots of single parents travel with their kids and still be able to enjoy it.

Here are a few suggestions on what to do:

1. By-pass lines. It is really a pain to watch singe parents with their kids in tow, waiting in long lines. The children will easily get bored and would probably wander off. To avoid all of this, checking luggages can now be done conveniently online. It’s truly hassle free and all you have to do is login to the airlines site and check in 24 hours before your flight.

2. Board the plane earlier. Airlines actually make parents traveling with children as priority. Boarding earlier will have you and your child plenty of time to get comfortable in your seat as the rest of the passengers still find theirs.

3. Bring a stroller, this way, you can strap your kid as you go through all the securities and check you have to do and not worry about him getting lost. Strollers are not counted as luggage.

4. Make sure that your ride is there when you get to your destination. If someone is picking you up, like a family member, you can go ahead and hand over your child with them, if your child is comfortable enough, as you sort through the luggage compartment. Or if you have enlisted airport pick up, be sure that the driver is already there and waiting for you.

After having a child, your whole approach to dating can change. Firstly, it’s difficult enough to find the time for a love life amongst all of the new demands on your time. Secondly, children can be a great confidence-killer – being a parent doesn’t exactly make you feel attractive, especially for women experiencing the physical changes. Thirdly, you may start to feel that you can only date other parents who are sympathetic to yourcircumstances.

All of these elements can lead you to lower your expectations from dating, leading you to rush into things and settle for people who aren’t necessarily right for you. This really shouldn’t be the case – everyone should have a shot at finding love, single parent or not. Here are a few steps to take to get you closer to your soul mate…

Use the right tools:

Dating in the conventional way – by chance – is not an option as a single parent. You simply don’t have the time to sit around in bars being admired. Instead, you need to be proactive and use the right tools to get you what you want: let yourself be set-up with people, go speed dating. Also, think about using online dating sites. These allow you to browse through hundreds of potential matches and specify what you’re looking for – there are Christian dating sites, relationship sites – you name it, you’ll find it. These are massively time saving and hugely successful tools so get online!

Look in the right places:

If you never leave the house without your toddler in tow, it’s about time you hired a reliable babysitter. If you only hang out in parent-related places then the only people you’re likely to meet are other single parents. And they might not necessarily be right for you! Instead, start spending your time in the places you love doing the things you love. This way you’ll meet someone who has a commonality with your true personality, not just with your label as a parent.

Build the right image:

Spend a bit of time on your appearance before you start to date again. Assess your clothes, your make-up and how you hold yourself. Have they changed beyond recognition since you had kids? Try to work a bit of yourself back into your look, giving it that big bite of personality that will make you irresistible to the right person.

Take the right approach:

When you meet someone new, don’t jump in immediately with the parent angle. Parents have a habit of talking mainly about their children. You should definitely inform your date you have a child, but don’t start discussing the troubles they’ve been having with their maths homework. Instead, talk about you, what you like, your job – make it personal because that’s what they’ll fall in love with.

Don’t just settle for someone convenient. Whether it’s by using free dating sites or getting a makeover, you can find love as a single parent.

Kids Playing Outside, courtesy of www.rsspieces.com

That’s what my mother would call out to me and my brother as we casually, usually absentmindedly, informed her that we were going  outside to play.

That was more than twenty-five years ago. Over the past two decades, things have changed for kids in America.

Single parents – like my mom – still had to work in order to pay the  bills. Which meant that she couldn’t be there when we got home after
school let out but that didn’t mean that we didn’t have our  instructions: homework first, chores second, then playtime. Sometimes
we even fixed our own dinners. But that’s just the way it was and that’s the way it is for a lot of families.

What’s different is that, over the past twenty-five years, in direct response to fear of child predators, Social Services mis-interpreting a familial situation and the staggering cost of childcare, parents have equated indoor-time as the lesser of two evils.

But, what that’s left us with is a whole generation of kids, who are now having families of their own, who are raising their children as
they themselves were raised. For the most part, hours spent in front of a computer screen is considered constructive and parents tout the advantage their child gains by continually gaming.

In the mean time, no one is playing outside.

Studies have proven that those children who regularly play outdoors tend to play more imaginatively, have lower stress levels, and have a greater respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment. Not to mention that they’ll be creating memories that will last their
entire lives and learn how to interact with other in a way that no on-line environment could hope to duplicate.

I can tell you more disputes got settled on my side porch with a more satisfying outcome than any disagreement started in any chat room. The afternoons, early evenings, and seemingly endless Sundays significantly contributed to who I am today just like all these kids,
staying at home, playing by themselves day after day, interacting with a computer screen, will have a life-long affect on them. Playing
‘Kick-the-Bucket’ with a bunch of neighbourhood kids in my side yard, sliding on the grass and getting bumped and bruised is nothing like
playing ‘Kick-the-Bucket’ by myself on my Wii. Grass stains can’t be ‘virtualized’ and the smiles and memories that come from playing
outside can’t be duplicated with a hand-held, intuitive, wand.

Encourage your child to turn off the monitor and go out and play. There’s a time and place for everything and that includes playing
outside and staying within earshot of our parents.

Who knows… With any luck, the next generation of children will have to be told that they have to come in and ‘do’ their computer time before they can go back outside and play some more.

Playing outside is eco-friendly.  Here are some more eco-friendly tips.