President Ronald Reagan declared March 21st as "National Single Parent's Day" in 1984.
Did you know that Single Parent’s Day is a thing? It is!
Some blow Single Parent's Day off as an alternative to Mother's Day and Father's Day, but it really is a step further than that. Parenthood is not easy, let alone having to go at it without a partner in the home. I have never experienced it as a child or a parent but can imagine and from accounts from people I know, it can also be very tumultuous if the parents do not have a cordial relationship. We all make sacrifices as parents, yes but I say any day to recognize a parent for their hard work and dedication, I’m 100% here for it.
The idea for Single Parent's Day started in 1984 with an article written by a divorced mother of two who hoped that Single Parent's Day might gain the recognition that most associate with both Mother's Day and Father's Day. She worked with the organization Parents Without Partners. They petitioned individual states to declare their own recognition of Single Parent's Day. It is believed that March 21 was chosen as the official day to coincide with the inception of Parents Without Partners, which began on March 21, 1957.
Single Parent's Day is an opportunity for the children of single-parent families to recognize and celebrate the sacrifices that one or both of the parents make to maintain a stable home environment where their children can thrive, provide for their needs, and nurture them with love. It's also an opportunity for single parents to celebrate their efforts and achievements on their own.
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Here are some ways to celebrate your single parent(s) or yourself:
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
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
To help to continue to increase awareness of Single Parent's Day on March 21, you can request both local and national leaders to issue a proclamation in support of the day by e-mailing the White House or contacting your local governor.
Proclamation 5166 read:
— National Single Parent Day, 1984
March 21, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Before they are eighteen, about half of our Nation’s children will have lived part of their lives with a single parent who strives to fill the role of both mother and father.
Many single parents in America are making valiant efforts on behalf of their children under trying circumstances. Whether it is a deserted spouse forced to work and care for children simultaneously, or a spouse who is not receiving child support that has been awarded by a court, or an unwed mother who has bravely foregone the all-too-available option of abortion, or a widow or widower, single parents deserve our recognition and appreciation for their demonstrated dedication to their young.
At the same time, we should also recognize the vital and ongoing role a large percentage of non-custodial parents play in the nurturing process of their offspring. Their sacrifices, devotion and concern reflect the bonds of caring for those they have brought into this world.
Single parents can and do provide children with the financial, physical, emotional and social support they need to take their places as productive and mature citizens. With the active interest and support of friends, relatives and local communities, they can do even more to raise their children in the best possible environment.
The Congress, by H.J. Res. 200, has designated March 21, 1984, as “National Single Parent Day” and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of that day.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 21, 1984, as National Single Parent Day. I call on the people of the United States to recognize the contributions single parents are making, sometimes under great hardships, to the lives of their children, and I ask that they volunteer their help, privately or through community organizations, to single parents who seek it to meet their aspirations for their children.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:13 a.m., March 22, 1984]
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