Jenn Buell shares her story of loss, loneliness, and longing, but lovingly guides us on the road to understanding the needs of single moms.
Jenn Buell shares her story of loss, loneliness, and longing, but lovingly guides us on the road to understanding single motherhood.
There is power in sharing our stories. It reminds us that we’re not alone in the struggles of life, and that this temporary situation may not be forever.
Sometimes it’s a way for God to work and show Himself to us, where we may have been too comfortable to notice His presence otherwise.
No More Judging Single Moms
Jenn Buell never thought she would be raising kids alone. She shares in this interview how her preconceived ideas about the life choices of single moms dramatically shifted to having more sympathy and grace.
“How they ended up that way matters far less than the fact that they are doing the job of two people.”
So where can single moms find the support they need? Asking for help isn’t always as easy as it sounds, and offering a vague, non-specific solution is not the best. (Recall Episode 009 with Sarah Beckman: Practical Tips for Helping Hurting Families)
The Pride Issue
[bctt tweet=”“People don’t tend to accept help as well as they give it…”” username=”PracticalFamily”]
Jenn says that pride often gets in the way of accepting help when you’re a single mom – and then when you do receive a gift, the need to explain those good things because you feel indebted to others.
It’s a hard place to be! But she says, let go of unrealistic expectations of yourself, your family, and approach everything will a lot of grace.
[bctt tweet=”“Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best that you can.”” username=”PracticalFamily”]
After the unexpected loss of her husband, Jenn Buell had to figure out solo parenting very quickly. The twists and turns of managing a household after a 20-year marriage partnership was heavy on her shoulders. But she found hope in the promise that God is never surprised by anything, and that this change of course was going to strengthen her purpose. She is now a mom on a mission to bring hope and strength to other mamas who are Mom-ing alone.
Jenn is now a blogger, professional speaker, and podcaster who encourages single moms in their journey and shares funny and real tips through her blog and podcast. She was recently honored to give a TED Talk at TEDx Rapid City. (click to watch!) Jenn works as a radio DJ for a local Christian station in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota and is currently raising four awesome kids.
Follow her on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to Right There With You on Apple iTunes or your favorite podcast provider.
Quick Listen Time Stamps
3:30 | Learning to accept help
5:35 | Assumptions about single moms
7:52 | What we wish Christians understood about single mothers
10:00 | Guilt when we take care of ourselves
12:26 | What keeps single moms from believing they are enough for their children
15:25 | What parents today feel like they have to do
16:04 | How globalization of information changes parenting
18:10 | Single mothers and dating
20:13 | Boundaries
22:29 | When you’re single because he cheated
