Family life definitely had a rhythm—there is a cadence and a vernacular that is especially suited to life with children and you just don’t get it without. Not to mention, parenthood brings out a different side to a person—usually one he or she had no idea existed. The single parent family has a different rhythm too—one that is NOT the same as the two-parent family scene…
If you’ve experienced family life in a different arrangement—say prior to becoming a single parent, it can take a while to adjust to and discover the new family rhythm. For a while, everything may seem different and confusing and it may take a little time to get your footing and find your way. But, trust that in time things will come together again and your family will arrange itself. It might not be the same, but it can still be a wonderful rhythm and beat nonetheless.
There may be more bustle in some single parent families—with work and children and school and all those things that come with an ordinary life, it might take on a tempo that is quicker than you’d like. Keep in mind that you do have the power to slow things down, or at least find pockets of do-nothing time where things can feel a little less hectic. You might find that your single parent family actually feels more peaceful and mellow. Since it’s been years now that I have been building and enjoying life as single parent family, we’ve gotten into a comfortable groove (all things considered). My kids express that things seem more “functional” and a person can find quiet time and space for themselves or a conversation at our house and it isn’t the same when they go to their dad’s bustling 2-adult home. Our family life has developed a pretty steady hum and buzz and is missing all the staccato and stress of life before the separation and divorce.
Even though your single parent family may have a different feel and a different rhythm than you imagined, trust that things are evolving exactly as they should be for your unique family circumstance.
Also: Interruptions Define the Life of a Single Parent
Normalizing Life in the Single Parent Family