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Un-Happy Holidays: What To Do When You Feel More Miserable than Merry
Two years post-divorce I celebrated my first Christmas without my children. I awoke early that morning, but not to the sounds of excited whispers and scampering feet as I had for the twelve years prior. I made my way to the kitchen, but not before passing our Christmas tree. It stood solemnly – unlit, without a gift nestled below

When the Holidays Hurt: Grieving Through the Holidays as a Single Parent
I’m a huge fan of Thanksgiving. Before my divorce we had all kinds of Thanksgiving traditions, one of which included putting on the goofiest Thanksgiving Day costumes and dashing downtown to participate in our city’s annual Turkey Trot. Afterward, we’d head home to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. I was always busy in the kitchen prepping

Forgiveness: What It Is, What It’s Not, & How To Do It
When my ex-husband and I first separated, I was angry. Like throw-everything-in-the-garbage angry. After my ex had removed his things from the home, I spent the better part of three weeks clearing out my garage, screaming and crying as I sifted through box after box of nearly twenty years worth of memories. Old photos, letters, keepsakes, even articles of

Everything I Know About Toxic Relationships I Learned from Disney (& How I Finally Learned to Stop Settling)
When I was seven years old, I saw “The Little Mermaid” at our local movie theatre three times. Three times. I didn’t just love Ariel – I wanted to be Ariel. My best friends and I would spend summers at the neighborhood pool, flipping our imaginary “tails” (because the real ones hadn’t been invented yet), each of us dreaming

I Stopped Dating for a Year and This Is What Happened: An Unexpected Answer to Loneliness
I haven’t been on a date in a year. Well, one year, 3 months, and 2 days actually. I didn’t really set out to stop dating for a year; it just sort of happened. The last time I went on a date was in early March 2021. The date itself was really nice; I went to a nice restaurant

Overcoming Overwhelm
Overwhelm is most often not about whatever sets us off, but rather is connected to something deeper below the surface. Like the time I flipped out on my mom over broccoli. Every Sunday, my kids and I have dinner with my parents. We’ve been doing this for years. This tradition is awesome for a number of reasons, one of