Impatience can be a problem for many of us—we want what we want and we want things to happen NOW. Whether we are trying to get through a grieving period, or rebuild our lives and our bank accounts, life as a single parent can be a lesson in patience. Learning how to allow the time to pass in order to facilitate healing, growth and change can be a big step for many of us.
I know that when I was newly a single parent, I was incredibly frustrated by what felt like “going backward.” I had spent all those years of my marriage trying to build a life—buying a house, financial investments, family, career, etc. and then divorce and single parenthood meant that in many of those areas, I was starting all over. I had to re-build and re-establish my finances on my own (after taking care of all sorts of baggage leftover from the marriage) and while I wanted to be back on my feet right away, it took time. Months and years passed as I took one step at a time to rebuild my life.
As single parents, we may have to learn how to allow for time to pass in order to heal a broken heart, meet someone new, go back and finish school, rebuild a relationship with our children, help our children heal, etc. So many aspects of our lives may appear to be moving in slow motion that we get impatient and frustrated. The only solution really is time—we have to allow those weeks and months to pass and we have to learn how to have faith and patience as we put things back together one step at a time. Eventually, the time will pass, things will improve and our lives will gradually get into a much better place.
See Also: Finding Balance between Giving and Recieving
Patience can be Hard to Cultivate