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National Single Parents' Day (March 21): History, Interesting Facts And How To Recognize. Photo KnowInsiders

Check out the meaning of National Single Parents Day when single moms and dads are recognized and encouraged.

On March 21st, National Single Parents Day honors the mothers and fathers holding down the fort with all the hard work, devotion, and sacrifices involved in single parenting. Raising children can be challenging. Doing it without a partner doubles the burden. Whether by choice or circumstance, single parents carry a heavy load. Between work, school, daycare, doctor visits, and the list goes on, one person can only do so much.

Interesting Facts On National Single Parents' Day

-National Single Parents Day is a huge occasion for people from single families from around the world to express their love and compassion. It is usually celebrated on a personal level. People also share interesting facts from history about and on this day. Some such interesting facts are listed below.

-80% of single parents comprise of single mothers. The number of single fathers is very less comparatively.

-Both Julia Roberts and Adele grew up with single parents. This shows that children from single-parent families are not lacking in any way despite the absence of a parent and can very well go on to become huge personalities and excel in their lives.

-Single parents are raising approximately 35% of the children in the United States.

Who founded National Single Parents' Day?

In 1984, Janice Moglen wrote an article with the hope that Single Parent Day may one day gain the recognition many connect with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. She collaborated with the organization, Parents Without Partners, and began to petition to have states declare recognition of Single Parent Day. The day of March 21st coincides with the inception of Parents Without Partners, which began on March 21, 1957. Proclamation 5166 was presented to, and signed, by President Ronald Reagan declaring March 21, 1984, as National Single Parent Day.

Janice was determined in her mission and she collaborated with an organization called Parents Without Partners. Together, they started petitioning to have Single Parents’ Day declared by states across the United States.

The date that was chosen is significant as well. It coincides with the origins of Parents Without Partners, which was first established on the 21st of March in 1957.

Janice, and single parents all over the United States, were delighted when President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5166, which declared the 21st of March, 1984, as Single Parents’ Day. Since then, this date has been embraced across the United States, as well as many other countries around the world.

Why National Single Parents' Day?

Photo there is a day for that
Photo there is a day for that

National Single Parents Day is celebrated each year to show gratitude and appreciation for the single mothers and fathers who raise children without the support of a partner who could have shared the responsibilities with them. Raising children is quite the task and is the most epic journey of your life. Often, partners can feel overwhelmed by the journey into parenthood, so we can only imagine what it must be like for single parents to walk that path alone and all by themselves.

People can be single parents due to many reasons. Some would not have wanted to marry, while for others, the reasons can be more stressful, like a divorce or losing their partner early on in life. Whatever the reason may be, this day marks these single parents’ courage and love towards their children to take up this daunting task all alone.

READ MORE: 9 useful tips to manage time effectively for working mothers

What to do on National Single Parents' Day?

Photo Getty
Photo Getty

Parents

- Write a letter to each of their children about your experiences and the value of your journey with them.

- Have a day out with your single parent friends (buy yourself something nice, celebrate a kid-free day, enjoy a day of pampering, or just relax)

- Spend the day with your children. If you have a special place you enjoy or once enjoyed, go there

- Make a special dinner for your family, one that reminiscent of how far you’ve come

Photo Envato Elements
Photo Envato Elements

Children

- Buy or make your parent(s) a card or write a letter telling them how you feel about them and the sacrifices they’ve made.

- Treat your parent to a day of pampering or pamper them yourself

- Buy or make your parent a special gift

- Make your parent(s) a special dinner or dessert

Friend or Relative

- Provide a meal for a single parent family; one that is close to you or not

- Offer childcare

- Lend an ear for joy, pain, or a cry for help

HOW TO RECOGNIZE NATIONAL SINGLE PARENT DAY

Take time to reach out to a single parent you know this week. Inspire them with some words of encouragement, or offer to help them with a household task.

Do something special for a single parent this week. Take them out to dinner, prepare a meal, or send them a small treat!

Offer childcare. Even just a few hours of free-time for a single parent could be greatly appreciated!

Use #NationalSingleParentDay to join the movement on social media.

Increasing Awareness

Luckily, anyone can help support Single Parents' Day. Since its inception, both national and state proclamations in support of Single Parents' Day have been sporadic. You can play a role in changing that trend by requesting that both local and national leaders issue a proclamation in support of Single Parents' Day on March 21. Do so by e-mailing the White House or contacting your local governor.

Single Parents' Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the determination and strength shown by more than 14 million single parents who are raising children in the U.S. today. Britton notes that "Many single parents aren't even putting themselves in second or third place" as they work to raise their kids, "making sure their kids have the same opportunities as dual family units." While there is tremendous joy in the task, it's also a lot to bear all on your own. It's time to applaud the individuals who are up to the task.

READ MORE: TOP 8 Most Good-looking Celeb Dads in the US

Encouraging Quotes and Wishes For National Single Parents' Day

"My first love is my mother. She did so much for us children as a single parent. I watched her make a dollar out of fifteen cents. I thought she was either a magician or she had God's actual phone number. She wasn't a motivational speaker; she was an inspirational speaker." – Betty Wright

"It's difficult, but far from impossible and we smile more than we cry." – Regina King

"People ask me 'What about gay adoptions? Interracial? Single Parent?' I say 'Hey fine, as long as it works for the child and the family is responsible.' My big stand is this: every child deserves a home and love. Period." – Dave Thomas

"My younger sister had kids before I did, and managed to earn a master's degree while raising them as a single parent. Now she's a brilliant second-grade teacher. I'm in awe of her ability to juggle everything and still be a great mother." – Idina Menzel

"I knew going in that being a single parent would be one of the toughest jobs I'd ever have. I'd been a talk-show host, actor, comic, and on and on, but this gig was going to be my defining moment." – Arsenio Hall

“Single parent is all about having double the responsibilities to give your child the best of everything that two parents could have given together.”

“Single parent means facing all the challenges with a smile on your face because there is someone who is always look up to you for strength.”

“Single mother or father have a lot to deal with to have their children smiling and happy….. Hats off to single parents.”

“Being single with a responsibility of a child is no easy game but each small victory instills you with more hope and strength.”

“When you are a single mother or father, you have to put aside all your comforts and embrace all the challenges life is planning to bring to you.”

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