You get that text message, your officer will be late again. He is missing bed time with your little ones. Or maybe he has to leave in the middle of a birthday party. We have all been there. Our kids are crying and as police wives, we have to hold everything together. We have to wipe those tears, be brave when we are sad too, and keep moving forward even when we are unbelievably tired.
We hold the line at home. We are married but on the days our officers work, we feel like single parents by default.
It can be down right hard and there is no changing it. So why not challenge yourself for the next 14 days? Take our 14 Day Solo-Parenting Challenge! Push through, get new ideas, and be the best solo parent you can be! (Well, let’s face it, you are already doing your best, right?)
**Feel free to break up your 14 days for days your officer is home. Just don’t forget to pick up where you left off! But feel free to include your officer, too! It’s up to you!
1.) No raising your voice the entire day.
2.) Read a book with your child about your officer’s job. This can be a great time to explain why their daddy/mommy works different hours. I recommend: A Hero Lives in my Family and Police: Hurrying! Helping! Saving!
3.) Teach your child something they can do on their own from now on. Try to relieve some pressure off of you. This can be little like putting on their own shoes to putting laundry away.
4.) Say “no” to something today. And I don’t mean to your kids, exactly. Could you say “no” to running one more errand? Could you say “no” to making dinner? (Eat out instead)! Give yourself permission to say “no”!
Get your FREE meal guide today!
Does meal planning around shift work stress you out? What about packing a lunch while your officer is on shift? Join over 3,000 fellow police wives and download your FREE meal guide to reduce stress now!
5.) No social media day! Put away your devices (for you and the kids) and focus on spending time with one another! No facebook, no snapchat- it can all wait until tomorrow!
6.) You will make mistakes today- we all will. Tell yourself right now that it is okay to make mistakes. You are not perfect and no one expects you to be!
7.) Meet up with another mom today! Have a play date, talk, relax as much as you can. It can be a fellow police wife or not!
8.) Take your kids somewhere new! Maybe a new park or pool? Take lots of pictures for your spouse that is working and keep them included.
9.) Ask your spouse today if you can plan time for yourself. You may not get that today, but you can put it on the calendar for the near future. Every solo parent needs self-care to be the best mom she can be!
10.) Follow your child’s lead today! See what they want to do and don’t stress about the house!
11.) Ask your spouse to plan and do one household chore for you today that you normally take care of. Maybe make the bed or start a load of laundry? This may help relieve stress off of you.
12.) Breathe a lot today. You are doing so well! Any time you feel tired or lonely, just breathe!
13.) Serve something fun for dinner like ice cream or cereal! Yep! It is easier on you and will make your kids pretty darn happy. You only live once, right?
14.) When you are feeling frustrated or tired today, get out of the house and go for a walk with your kids.
Or, if it is easier- print this Solo parenting challenge in PDF form!
Yes, this challenge is about parenting, but it is also about you! You can only be expected to do so much and we often need reminders to give ourselves permission to slow down or not be perfect. So I hope these next 14 days (or longer if you break it up) are beneficial for you as a solo-parent!
Keep us posted! Let us know how you do by telling us on our social media pages or in the comments section. We would love to hear!
FREE Police Wife Guide- Top 10 Ways to Rock Police Wife Life
Learn to rock police wife life with these 10 easy tips! Join over 20,000 fellow police wives who are learning to rock it and feel supported with our help each week! Once a week I will provide you with even more ways to feel encouraged and supported for your law enforcement wife journey with my newsletter.
Read my PRIVACY POLICY here.