Feeling alone this BH Monday

[beckyboo33]

I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling lonely today when we're on our own as a single parent. It's so hard and I hate feeling like this, not just for me but for my son too. I don't have any family nearby as they live 80 miles away. We very rarely get invited to anything so normally it's just the two of us at weekends and it's very lonely. We don't have many friends (I don't get a lot of time to go out socialising) and we live in a small village where there's not a lot happening and somehow we get treated like the plaque by other families who are coupled up....there's so much stigma around still and not enough support for single parents. I work full time to support us both but it's tough. I'm not happy and ready to just pack up a move back to Yorkshire, I've had enough.

[lolo14]

Boy do I know how you feel. It's bloody hard!

[sandgrown]

I used to feel the same as everybody seemed to be playing happy families. I started researching cheap/free events well in advance of the holidays. A family railcard allowed us some cheap days out and we took a picnic and went to free museums etc. Can you visit family for the holiday weekends? There are some companies that do single parent holidays but they are not particularly cheap .

[beckyboo33]

I'm estranged from my parents (I'm a careleaver many years ago) so we've not got a great relationship. I live in a rural area and not far from a tourist hotspot so it's quite expensive to go to attractions etc and no free entry anywhere so I do feel limited to what we can do without it costing the earth but yes there are other free things we can do outdoors.... Tricky thing is getting my teenage son to come with me as he tends to not want to do,anything I want to do and it gets so frustrating lol! There aren't that many single parents around my area (unless they're hiding) so it's tricky meeting up with other single mums on days like these.... Do I sound like I'm just making excuses now lol.....?

[megletthesecond]

Climbing the walls here too. We've managed a short outing to grab something from the allotment and supermarket but now I'm left with sorting stuff out for work and holiday club for the rest of the week. The excitement is overwhelming .

[Flowerpower41]

Ds is at a tricky age in that he is now 11 and refuses to go out with me anywhere any longer. We have to be utterly desperate for something before he will come. Invariably it is just me going out to e.g. Tescos weekends. He never does anything sociable with me any more. It has got really really boring being his parent at weekends!

When he was 8 or 9 he really didn't mind going out but now he doesn't want to know.

Normally I manage to amuse myself pretty well over the weekends but the past two I have felt quite restless. I think the fact that school is starting again tomorrow may make him more tired in the evenings. He just isn't tired at all and goes to bed only under duress during the holidays. Flippin' boring being his mum at times!