Celebrating Mother’s Day After Your Divorce

Celebrating Mother’s Day after a divorce can bring up mixed emotions. At first, it can be overwhelming to celebrate Mother’s Day as a single mom. Instead of allowing these negative emotions to take over, use this day as an opportunity to check in with yourself and your kids.

How to Celebrate Mother’s Day After Your Divorce

Be patient with yourself. It may take a few years for you to find your Mother’s Day groove after your divorce. Depending on the ages of your kids, you may find yourself planning the day on your own. Don’t worry! Celebrating Mother’s Day after your divorce doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are some tips.

  • Plan ahead if possible. Since Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are parent-specific holidays, hopefully your custody schedule already includes your children. If not, reach out to your co-parent as far in advance as possible and request a schedule change. 
  • Call the shots. Now that you’re single, you get to spend Mother’s Day exactly how you want to. Sometimes the best celebration is simply treating yourself to a day off from all your responsibilities. Order takeout, skip the laundry and leave the chores for another day.
  • Keep your schedule flexible. Mother’s Day can be any day you choose. If your custody schedule or other activities don’t allow you to celebrate with your kids on Mother’s Day, designate another day. Remember, it’s not about the date on the calendar. It’s about taking a day to celebrate and reconnect with the kids who made you a mom. 
  • Start new traditions. Beginning to celebrate Mother’s Day after your divorce is an opportunity to begin your own traditions. Feel free to tell your kids exactly how you’d like to spend the day. This is your opportunity to be as selfish as you want to be, in the best way!
  • Celebrate all the moms in your life. When your kids are young, they may not plan a Mother’s Day celebration for you. Instead, take this opportunity to celebrate all the moms in your life. You can reach out to family and friends with a call or text message, or take it a step further and plan a moms’ lunch or spa day. 

Celebrating as a Step-Parent 

Mother’s Day can be tricky as a step-parent. Your step-children have a mom they typically celebrate on this day. But as your bond with your step-children deepens, you may feel a bit lonely on Mother’s Day. Depending on your relationship with your step-kids’ biological mom, you may want to propose sharing some time on this day. If not, feel free to designate another day to celebrate your role in these kids’ lives. 

Celebrating Your Co-Parent

Although you are divorced, you still share a bond as co-parents. If you can forgive each other and work collaboratively together, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are opportunities for each of you to re-affirm your respect for the other parent. You can do this by speaking positively about your co-parent in front of your children. 

Mother’s Day after divorce is an opportunity to begin new traditions and celebrate closely with your kids. You can celebrate just the way you want to, even if it doesn’t happen right on Mother’s Day. Depending on how fresh your divorce is, Mother’s Day may be one of the most difficult holidays of the year for you. That’s okay! It takes time to re-adjust to spending Mother’s Day without your ex-spouse. Give yourself some time to adjust and find your own way to celebrate.

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