8 Most Common Challenges You Experience As A Single Parent

Are you a single parent, or is it something that you have been planning? Have unforeseen circumstances forced you on this path and are you wondering how to go about it? If you said yes, it might be a good idea to know what the single parenting issues and challenges the territory will bring.

As a parent, you know the responsibility of looking after your child will be both tough as well as rewarding. However, if you are thinking of becoming a single parent, for whatever reasons, the journey can sometimes be a little more challenging than you thought. So, scroll down to check out some of the problems faced by single parents, and find out how you can best tackle them.

Common Single Parenting Issues:

While parenting is a unique experience, and all families will have their challenges, here are some of the most common challenges or issues single parents face:

1. Understanding And Sorting The Finances:

If you are a single parent, you have to ensure that you know all about your finances and can plan them in advance.

• Be aware of when you have cash flow and how often. It could be a regular paycheck, a grant or even a monthly financial support that your ex-partner has agreed to send you.

• Plan every expense you will incur, whether it is regular housekeeping maintenance, food bills, education bills, health issues and other miscellaneous expenses.

• If you feel that your finances are currently inadequate, and you need more specialized training or help to do better, get in touch with local authorities who can help.

[ Read: 5 Common Family Rules ]

2. Make Sure To Discuss With Your Kids:

While the bigger decision will be taken between you and your ex-partner, you also have to include your children in the changes that will happen in the family.

• Often children of single parents can become resentful towards one or both parents if they feel they have been wronged or do not understand why you are doing what you are doing.

• Involve your children in your decision, but make sure you give them the information in an age-appropriate manner.

• If possible, start talking to your children before you make all the big changes and moves so that it will give them time to understand and adjust. Tell them that their feelings are important too and ask them what they feel about it. Help them share their concerns and be patient.

[ Read: Tips for single parenting ]

3. Look For Support:

As a single parent, you will have a lot of responsibilities on your hand. While you may want to try and do everything, it may not always be the best option, especially when you have to plan so many things aspects.

• Look for support system around you to your family and friends.

• If you do not want to involve your family or your friends, you can still look for support from various local groups that often work with single parents.

• In case, your ex-partner lives nearby, and you share joint custody of your children, chalk out a plan so that you can manage things better.

4. Make Sure To Devote Time For Family:

Being a single parent can often take its toll on you, but in the process it can also be taxing on your children.

• The new responsibility as a single parent will mean that you will almost always be short on time, and many times also on patience.

• However, it is important that you continue to make time for yourself and your children and make sure that you still do things together as a family.

• If you and your ex-partner can agree to spend time together as a family while the children are around, you can also plan small outings or get-togethers to give your children the security that you all are still there for your children.

[ Read: Books On Single Parenting ]

5. Follow A Routine:

Just because you are a single parent does not mean you have to invite chaos into your or your children’s lives.

• Make sure that you put together a clear set of routines that your children have to follow each day.

• Set down rules for bedtime, study time, playtime and other activities.

• When your children know that there is a set pattern to their days, it will help them feel more secure and less anxious.

6. Set Ground Rules For Discipline:

One of the biggest single parenting challenges that you will also face is to make sure that your children know what rules of discipline they have to follow.

• It is possible that you and your ex-partner have different views about disciplining the children, and often that can be enough to cause a rift amongst you and the children too.

• Sit with your ex-partner and talk about what you think you should follow as part of disciplining the children. If your ex-partner has a different, approach try to explain why you think your idea will work better.

• Give your ex the chance to explain and listen patiently too. It is only when both you and your ex-partner agree to the terms and conditions of setting down ground rules for discipline will your children be able to follow the same too.

[ Read: How to Teach Kids to Read ]

7. Do Not Ask Your Children To Offer Comfort:

It may be very difficult for you as a single parent to take care of your emotional and other needs, but make sure you do not let that show in front of your children.

• Your children will have a tough time dealing with their emotions about all the new developments that will be taking place, so keep your emotions and concerns with you.

• Avoid talking too much about what happened or giving explanations about the entire situation. At no cost should you start talking negatively about your ex in front of your children.

• While you may feel lonely or sad, do not expect your children to offer you comfort and solace. Many times, your children may feel completely inconsiderate to what you may be feeling, but make sure you let that be aside.

8. Keep Faith And Be Positive:

A single parent is a badge that comes with untold challenges and is one of the most difficult aspects of parenting.

• While it is possible to feel that you do not have anything to look forward to any more of a personal approach, do not lose faith.

• Look for positive influences around you and always try to take the goodness out of every situation.

• Look after yourself and try to take out a little time for yourself, whether it is finding solace in a book or going out to meet new people.

As a single parent, you will have the double challenge of looking after your children as well as yourself. Make sure you take some time out and make a plan about how you want to move ahead with it.

Moms, have any of you been a single parent to your child or grown up as the child of a single parent? If yes, do share your positive stories on single parent issues with other moms out here so that they too can take care of their children as well as themselves.

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