Single Parent Support

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Sean D. Smith
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
The role of a single parent in uniform can be demanding, especially if they work with a schedule that has them away from home for days at a time. The military has resources to help those parents, but Family Advocacy wants to take things a step further by helping single parents at Minot Air Force Base help each other.

The idea of a single parent support group is focused around a Facebook group that allows an open dialogue between its members. That communication option could be useful to single parents when they hit a snag.

"Say they're called into work, or something happens and they need a babysitter," said Laurel Grams, Family Advocacy outreach manager. "Maybe they post it on Facebook, and someone's able to reply and help them out."

The group doesn't end with Facebook; they will also meet in person with Family Advocacy's support.

"We're hoping that at that initial organizational meeting, the group will begin to define itself," Grams said.

Family Advocacy is spearheading the project, but their intention is to keep a light touch. The support group is for single parents, and it's meant to be run by those same parents once it gains momentum.

The group will be exclusive to single military parents on the grounds that they have the best understanding of what other single parents need.

"Most people think that pot lucks are a great idea," Grams said. "But for a single parent, such as myself, I've got all this to do - and now I have to come up with something for it. When we brought this up other single parents said the same thing. They didn't want to do a pot luck. They'd rather just save the time and pay for something. If you're not a single parent, you might think about certain things in different ways."

The Facebook component of the group is intended to foster networking, and to make it as simple and easy as possible for single parents to participate.

"Let's say you can't make the meeting because of your schedule, but you have a friend who did make it," said Kevin O'Toole, domestic abuse victim advocate. "You can always reach out to that friend for the latest."

The single parent support group's first meeting will be at the Northern Plains Chapel, March 16 at 6:30p.m. Refreshments will be served, and of course, child care will be provided.