The best gifts for single parents come in the form of service. As a single mother of two, I’m always wishing I had another pair of hands or more hours in the day. So, if you’re looking to give a gift that’s more than just a gift card or money (also very helpful) to a single parent, look to gifts that will save them time, offer convenience, and/or lighten the load.

Subscription services, in particular, are some of the best gifts you can give because it’s truly the gift that keeps on giving each month and is reliable. Some of my favorite subscription services to consider gifting are:

Walmart delivery - I love that I can order groceries with ease and they are delivered to my door with a click of a button. I shop at Walmart because you really can’t beat their prices, and they have a good selection of organic produce!

Green Mango Pest Control - This might be a strange gift, but honestly, knowing I don’t have to kill scorpions and spiders by myself is one of the best gifts ever. I love that Green Mango comes to my home on a regular schedule and uses natural pesticides instead of nasty chemicals.

Sweat App - When I can’t make it to the gym (also a great membership gift, especially ones with childcare), I use the Sweat app for challenging at-home workouts. There’s something for everyone with this app including meal plans.

ClassPass - Such a great subscription service that not only offers fitness classes but gives you access to beauty salons, acupuncture, massage, and other wellness services. The user can pick and choose how and when they want to use their class pass points.

Amazon Subscribe & Save - Talk about convenience, Amazon is known for saving my butt so many times whether it was for a Halloween costume for school or Christmas presents for the kids, or even coffee…This is a very practical, much-appreciated gift!

Sunbasket - Coming home after work, doing homework with the kids, getting them into the bath…Home-cooked meals are challenging for me. A meal subscription is a great gift for a busy parent. I like that Sunbasket offers healthy options with farm-fresh ingredients.

DYPER - Diapers are one of the biggest expenses of raising a child. Not to mention, they are one of those things that you NEVER want to run out of. There were so many times that I had to pack the kids in the car just to run to the store to get diapers. Save the bum and save the planet with a DYPER subscription! I work for this company, and I can promise you these diapers are incredible from end to end.;)

Whatever way a gift can lend a hand is truly appreciated. Babysitter money, cleaning services, and lawn care services are also great gifts to consider.

After running a couple of errands today, I popped into a boutique to snag a gift for my mom for Mother’s Day. Minutes later, I had found something (ironically, the store is called FOUND), and then I meandered through the shop with a whisper of a thought, “Why don’t you celebrate yourself too?” Following that, I remembered feelings of jealousy of the other moms being celebrated by their partners, feelings of anger surrounding how motherhood has changed with divorce, shame telling me I should just be thankful I get to be a mom no matter the circumstances, desires for my community to celebrate, and then shame for putting that responsibility of celebration on anyone at all for a made-up holiday🤪...I obviously was triggered anticipating Mother’s Day, headed toward a pity party in a pit, and at the core of it all was a valid longing for celebration.

A sales lady walked up to me asking if I wanted to buy the candle I was holding in my hand. I told her I’m considering gifting it to myself this Mother’s Day. She quickly followed, “Yeah, girl, pick out what you want instead of hoping he knows what you want.” “I’m actually a single parent, and I thought that maybe this year I would celebrate myself instead of wishing someone else does it,” I said. She paused and said, “That’s exactly what you should do! I was a single mom for 11 years, and it was really hard. For the first five years, I wished to be celebrated, and when other people tried, it never felt right or satisfied me. I realized I needed to do it for myself on Mother’s Day and all the days of motherhood because only I know all of the wins and losses. You are the best person to celebrate YOU, and when someone else does celebrate you, it’ll be a bonus.” I thanked her for her wisdom, I bought the candle, and I found more than I bargained for at that store.

I am SO grateful for the blessing of motherhood, but even four years later, as strong as I am and as capable as I am, it’s still hard doing it alone, especially this month. So, I want to remind the fellow single moms out there that feel unseen on this upcoming holiday that we need to learn to celebrate ourselves, especially in the hard seasons. And remember, you can be grateful for your kids and still desire to celebrate and acknowledge your accomplishments as a mother. You are not selfish. You are human. You are doing one of the hardest, beautiful things in this life...loving your children unconditionally. 💛 Share this with a single mom that needs to hear this today.