
A dear friend who has just entered into the space of being a single dad for the third time texted me the other night and asked me “How do you deal with the loneliness?” He had just moved into a flat away from the family home that they had built together. Even though he had felt lonely in that big house, this was different. And now I think about it, this is what I hear from so many single dads, “How do I deal with the loneliness?”
Some dads talk about the pain that seeps in when the house has fallen quiet. Even if the noise of the kids running round and the mess making was driving them mad, when the silence comes it is deafening. It is too quiet and they feel alone. Some dads tell me of the anguish of the emptiness and the haunting feeling when they discover all the play dough pigs left on the kitchen bench, the sock in the corner of the room, the toothbrushes in the pot plants. The calm after the storm.
The missing and the heart pain is deep
I know, I get it. It sits there, stoking the fears of aloneness, the fears of not enough. What I can offer you is this. I think that you are worthy and these feelings, hard as they are, give you an opportunity. An opportunity to feel, feel into them and feel through them.
What does ‘the missing’ feel like in your body?
What thoughts does it bring up?
Is there a mantra that your self-critic is repeating in your ear? If so, what is it?
What other emotions are going on with it?
Do you find yourself blaming yourself or others?
I don’t ask these for you to dwell on them. No, I ask them to see if you can pull from this pain some truth, some truth about who you are and where your sadness lives.
Moving through the pain your way
“I started running five time a week, I have never felt fitter.”
“I meditate every day now, it really helps.”
“I have reached out and made some new friends that I can talk to.”
These are just a few of the ways that single dads have told me that they work through these emotions. I think that you have a choice here. You can either feel what is going on and move through it or you can avoid it, deny it, push it down or some other variation on the avoiding theme.
How do you move through your heavy feelings?
Are you an avoider or a feeler? How is that working for you?
Ok enough of the feelings… where is the silver lining?
So now you have this space in your life. For some a space you didn’t want but you have it. And it was space that used to be filled with important stuff – gumboots, soccer games in the kitchen, homework on the couch, stories of the day. So something else that is important is needed.
- So what is important to you?
- What are you passionate about?
- What do you want to make happen for your life?
If you can fill this space with something that is important to you, it will help you through the pain and it is a way to fuel yourself too.
Ok, so when I sat down with “what do I want to say to single dads today?” in my head I had no idea I would start talking about pain and feeling. But I guess that is the trip that we were going on today. I hope it was useful for you. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Trish Everett is an Educator and Coach who specialises in helping single parents to regain their personal power and find the freedom they didn’t know they could have. For 17 years she has been supporting people develop their personal power. Be sure to visit her website, http://www.connectful.me
2 Responses to “Missing Your Kids? Dealing with Loneliness”
December 3, 2014
KenHi Trish,
Thanks for writing about this. The more talk about this the better .Yes, I understand the loneliness factor. And it is one of the mountains to conquer on the way to being an independent adult again after the heartache of divorce. At times you may need a distraction but in the end I agree it is best to not avoid it and to sit with the feeling. Be willing to be uncomfortable with the reality of those current feelings of emptiness or feeling deflated ( I know we guys hate the word “feelings”). Acknowledging that these “feelings” suck is a good first step but then work through how and why it sucks so much. If writing helps then write out the whole story and slowly piece together how you got to this stage in life without planning it that way. As stupid as it felt for me I know writing it out help get things literally out of my mind into reality. And if you did intentionally plan it differently than how and why did it turn out differently? This is a big stage that takes some time. I’ve been on the journey for 2 years with some clarity slowly peaking through (perhaps I’m a slow learner but we all have our own pace). There are not a whole lot of resources out there to deal with this and the current culture does not support the importance of the role men should play. But guys with some insight into this loss in life are a godsend and a great source of encouragement on this journey. Hope to see more discussion on this.
December 5, 2014
Trish EverettHi Ken,
Thanks for you brave and insightful comments. I loved hearing about you writing it out. It takes courage to do that, to see what is below the surface. I am also so happy to read that you found a community of encouragement and insight. I wish you the best with it. Sounds like you are really shifting some hard stuff.
Warmly
Trish