As a military spouse and mom, I have spent a lot of time as a solo parent. (And let me take a moment to send lots of respect to those of you who are solo parents ALL the time...you can skip this post because you already know way more than me). And the one thing that I have learned is that if you want to keep your kids happy and yourself sane, you just have to go for it and do things that you wouldn't normally do solo.
I used to hesitate to go anywere "big" with the kids without my husband (or another adult like my Mom or a friend). Sure, I could hit the pool or a kids museum during the week no problem, but when it came to big events like a festival or sporting event...no way. But guess what...when your husband is gone for months at a time your choice is take the kids by yourself or stay home. And eventually we got bored enough to try it out. And without fail we always have a blast and we're all glad we did it.
Today I took my kids to the Royals game by myself. My husband was out of town but I REALLY wanted to go to "K-State Day at The K" and my son REALLY wanted to see the Red Sox play. So we went. And we had a great time. The kids were great and it all went off without a hitch. Sure, it would have been nice to have another adult there to help me carry everything and to split up when one kid wanted to watch the game and the other wanted to hit the carosel, but we made it work. And we got to have a super fun experience instead of sitting at home.
My tips for making a BIG event work with just one parent:
-Be prepared. Know what to expect, pack lots of snacks.
-Wear comfy shoes, bring a backpack. Trust me...when you have to carry EVERYTHING you will want to have your hands free and not worry about a purse. Today I had a backpack full of snacks/junk, two water bottles, 3 free hats, a paper crown, a giveaway poster, and at one point 3 hot dogs, a big pretzel, a large Diet Pepsi, some crackerjack, and a baseball glove in my hands. And I was trying to navigate a crowd of people and not lose my kids.
-Which brings me to...prepare your kids. I had a big talk with them this morning and told them that it is hard for mommy to take them to a Royals game by herself because there are a lot of people and only one mommy. So they had to stay close, listen to what I say, and help out. And they did great...they understand that when there is only one parent there they have to give a little.
-Also have a plan for the "what if." This really goes for any event you go to with kids, whether you are alone with them or not. We have talked a lot about what to do if one of them gets lost in a crowd. They know to stay where they are and ask a "mom with kids" or someone in a uniform for help. THANKFULLY we have never had to test this plan out.
-Just do it. Seriously...don't be afraid to try big things with your kids. You will be surprised at how much fun you will have and you will never regret giving your kids a fun experience...even if you collapse in exhaustion at the end of the day.