A Single Mama’s Valentine’s Guide – Faithful Love and Creative Traditions
By: Wendy Baugh
This is a note to all my faithful single mamas out there!
Let me introduce myself. I am a forty-something who has been a single mum for more than the majority of my mama life! Originally born in the southern state of Georgia, I now call Australia, NSW home and have resided here for over 20 years.
My daughter, Audrey, is now 21 years old, and I have had the pleasure of mentoring other single mothers throughout my life. Now, I get to “put digital pen to paper” and share how faithful God has been.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, you may ask, “What is a mama to do?” I’m glad you asked!
Creating Memories with Young Children
If you have young children, so many very cool things you can do to share off God’s love for your children! Remember, we are professional memory makers of our home, and it only takes TWO years to establish a new tradition in our home.
One of my favourite things was to make “heart-shaped pancakes” for my girl! Buy strawberries, in earnest was quite pricy at the time. Have a homemade card from her mama and complete with bible verses on how much God loved her.
Also create Valentine’s Day cards for each child in her class, took time to ask her what kind of things we could say about each child and place them in their card.
Cut our hearts, bake heart-shaped cookies and even make heart-shaped ice in the freezer.
Incorporating Faith Into Valentine’s Day
We memorized the Shema Prayer (Deuteronomy 6:5–8):
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
I printed this prayer and kept it on our refrigerator as a daily reminder.
For myself, God placed it on my heart to create “love letters” for the local women’s Aglow group. I printed each one, tied them with ribbon, and added terms of endearment. I asked the Holy Spirit to give me the words, such as “Dear One,” “My Beloved,” or “Special One,” for the woman it was meant for. This was inspired by the book His Princess: Love Letters from the King by Sheri Rose Shepherd—a must-read for us gals to understand how God sees us as daughters of the King.
My then 8-year-old daughter stood as women attended the Aglow event, handing out the beautiful love letters from God to the ladies waiting at registration. This not only instilled a servant’s heart in her but also allowed her to witness the joy God’s love brought to others.
Raising Spiritually Sensitive Children
Raising spiritually sensitive children is essential in today’s world. Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy our families (John 10:10). God is so gracious to us mothers and genuinely expands our capacity to support our families in every season.
When I was a single mum working three jobs and attending school full-time, I leaned on God’s provision. If you’re unable to afford name-brand peanut butter (girl, I’ve been there!), trust in God’s goodness. To this day, every time I buy name-brand peanut butter, I’m reminded of His faithfulness.
Valentine’s Traditions for Teens
As my daughter entered her teenage years, I continued to show love in small but meaningful ways:
- Flowers delivered to her school
- A Valentine’s Day card and homemade breakfast each morning
- Notes in her lunchbox (yes, even as a teenager—they need it more at this age!)
- Handwritten messages on her banana
- Matching PJs
- Walks or drives together
- Attending Bible studies together until her HSC years
Learning each child’s love language—whether it’s quality time, words of affirmation, receiving gifts, acts of service, or physical touch—is key.
A Word Of Encouragement
As we transition into new seasons of parenthood, we shift from being a parent to a coach, and eventually, to a friend. It’s imperative to have prayer partners and spiritual support, people who can pray with you and guide you from a Christian perspective.
Don’t isolate yourself; we are meant to be in community. Ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide you to a good Bible-based church and study group.
Getting to see Audrey blossom into a beautiful woman of God has been such a treasure. I can confidently say that God has been with me every Valentine’s Day, giving me creative, Holy Spirit-inspired ideas to create a peaceful home and a house filled with love. He will do the same for you!
Article supplied with thanks to Rhema 99.7.
Feature image: Photo by Paolo Chiabrando on Unsplash
About the Author: Wendy Baugh, Office Manager at Rhema FM Newcastle and Creative Marketing Director at Life On Her Terms
