Christmas for many is a time to be celebrated – a break from work, socialising with friends and family and shopping in excess. But for single parents, the festive period can be anything but merry, bringing a host of financial, logistical, social and emotional pressures.  

We understand that single parents face an increase in household bills and this year have been struck by a decrease in Universal Credit benefits all adding to the financial burden of the holidays.

With many single parents being without their children and working increased hours to meet the demands and expectations of the festive period, we would like to call on Single Parents across Wales to join our network so that we can support you in combatting the Christmas blues. 

Etholiad Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru 2021, Welsh Youth Parliament Elections 2021, means that young people aged between 11- 18 years old can vote for a candidate in their area. Voting will take place between 1-22nd November 2021.

We interviewed Amelia ahead of the youth parliament elections and we think you’ll agree that Amelia is a leader of the future.

Candidate Amelia is a focused young person with heart and a real ambition to make a difference in her community. Plus Amelia is growing up in a single parent household and is a real inspiration to other young people.

Rom coms and other media would have us believe that when a relationship breaks down or we part ways with someone we’ve had a child with that you meet for coffee, are best mates or generally run through meadows together.

I’m sure a small percentage of the single parent population do have that, but the vast majority will have been on a rollercoaster to get to the coparenting relationship they have today. Or they manage to parallel parent or even counter parent.

SPW Director Rachel Cule appeared on BBC Radio Wales Dot Davis breakfast show to voice the struggles of being a single parent and managing the 6 weeks of summer holidays.

What really came through from our members was the overriding feeling of guilt, expense and the juggling act of the summer holidays is a big and stressful time for single parents.

Pleasure is a positive and inherent part of who we are as humans. We are biologically designed to experience pleasure in a multitude of ways, via our five senses. Furthermore, our eros can be viewed as not just our libido, but our life force, creativity and the very essence of who we are. However, people’s upbringings or distressing or traumatic life events can take their toll on their relationship to pleasure.

There will be a lot of situations in a single parents life that they will have to be in the same room as their ex partner, and one of those reasons may be your child’s birthday party. This can stir up so many emotions and be a highly stressful situation. So we have round up some top tips to consider.

One of the first subjects that was addressed was the Child Maintenance Service. This is an issue that is discussed and brought up over and over again by our SPW Members in Wales. Therefore, we decided to create some research around the impact of CMS and see if there are any common themes between single parents' experiences around CMS. We are showing the results in a series of 3 blogs and invite more single parents to get involved and complete the survey.

A single dad’s guide to talking to daughters about periods and a low down of the products out there. Including sustainable options.

I'm Russ, father of 13-year-old Ella and owner of 'balance' a zero waste/refill shop in Swansea. A place where you can bring your own containers and bottles to fill up on dry goods, cleaning products and personal hygiene liquids. We've already saved over 10,000 pieces of plastic being sent to recycling, landfill or left to breakdown in nature and the movement is only getting bigger.

Anon SPW member gives her honest and heart wrenching account of being with loving, and letting go an Alcoholic partner.

I have lived the life of ‘The Wife of an Alcoholic’ for many years. It’s not a moniker I would have chosen for myself, but it is who I have become. Now, it is an identity I want to shed. I have a mountain to climb to become ‘me’ again. I am rebuilding myself – my mind and body- from the ground up. 

Even before this pandemic research consistently showed that single parents are likely to experience loneliness and isolation. Loneliness and isolations has always been a big issue for single parents and something that is brought up over and over again with SPW members. 

Even before this pandemic research consistently showed that single parents are likely to experience loneliness and isolation. Loneliness and isolations has always been a big issue for single parents and something that is brought up over and over again with SPW members. 

Sophia Mico gives us some tips on how to speak to our children about racism.

Who would have believed it? There is no doubt that the Coronavirus pandemic has taken us all by surprise. Even those who should have been better informed on the risk of a pandemic sweeping the globe have been caught out! (Coronavirus: World must prepare for pandemic, says WHO).

It was suggested on the group that we come up with daily ways of combatting the negativity and loneliness and isolation that single parents might feel during the Covid-19 outbreak, and uncertainty in these times.

When I first split from my partner the idea of dating somebody new was not at the top of my priority list, it was more about finding a new house and keeping a 4 year old and a newborn alive on my own.

When children are ill it is gross any way, but I realised whilst holding my child’s poo in my hand last night, that when you are a single parent it is extra tough. But mostly I was struck with… The guilt

The thought of another woman ‘mothering’ my little boy has always filled me with dread and fear. A woman I know absolutely nothing about, a woman playing ‘happy families’ with my son and his father, taking over from me.

It’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness week and this subject is very close to my heart and a lot of other single mums. As a single parent you are twice as likely to be depressed than a mum in a coupled relationship. I had Post Natal Depression with both of my children, and I want other mums to know that they aren’t alone in their dark feelings and thoughts at this difficult time of having a new baby.

Life as a lone parent can often bob along without you really noticing that you are not in a partnership and that your child/ren don’t have a relationship with their other parent; but, BUT there are some days of the year where it really does come crashing towards you like an asteroid on the path to destroy your equilibrium and happy bubble.