A New Year has arrived, and millions of single mothers are struggling to pay off credit cards for Santa. Dads are too often absent. There are 19 million children in single-parent homes, mostly with their mothers. That’s a bunch of expectations from a Santa without a workshop.

A great number of single mothers do not receive child support, even though the Texas Attorney General’s office handles 1.5 million cases annually. This makes Texas’s Office of the Attorney General the largest child enforcement program in the United States. This makes paying the electric bill and buying kids new shoes very difficult.

The facts are disturbing.  Almost one-third of single mothers live below the poverty level, and that number is increasing.

Some children never see or even know their fathers, so their hopes of a consistent Daddy are not met. Disappointments sting when they return to school after the holidays and friends share what Santa brought them.

 “Child support income is especially important to families in poverty, and reports show that increasingly, custodial parents find themselves below the poverty level,” said report author Timothy Grall, a survey statistician in the Census Bureau’s Program Participation and Income Transfers Branch.   

I know dads can do better, and I know that some want to do better. If you know an absent daddy, here are a few suggestions.

Dads, I have a suggestion for you that could make a difference in 2026.

Why not buy your teenage kids a pair of shoes? Boys like running shoes; girls love boots. And you could add a pair of socks. Jackets are also nice this time of year. Younger girls love dolls, and boys collect trucks. If you need more ideas, the store clerks are happy to help a man in distress. Just ask. Shoeboxes are easy to wrap, and don’t forget a gift bag for the jacket or trucks. It could be an after-Christmas surprise or a New Year’s gift.

Just think, whenever your son or daughter puts on the shoes and jacket, he or she will think of you. The young kids will brag to their friends about the gifts “Dad gave me.” It may even open a door that has been closed for a while. A New Year with new shoes, jackets, toys, fewer disappointments, and some child support would sure be nice. Seems like a good way to start 2026.

I am the founder of Single Moms EmpowerEd. Before I remarried, I raised three children as a single mother. I have experienced the potholes, pests, and perils of being a single head of household, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support for single mothers who are pursuing degrees that lead to employment. I’m also a Certified Professional Coach, and my stories have been published in several books and magazines. My book, Living, Learning, Loving, is available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.