How to Live with Single Parents

Parenting is a complex job at the best of times.

Single parents have complex and challenging job. They are responsible for maintaining a home, creating and managing an income, making sure everyone makes it to appointments, school and work on time. Single parents have hopes and dreams that sometimes have to be set aside for the well-being of their child. They may have a hard time developing an appropriate social life because the children must come first. They must meet the challenges of nurturing and disciplining alone.

Instructions

1. Shoulder responsibility by completing your homework, doing your household chores and being patient with younger brothers or sisters. It takes a lot less time to do something than it does to rebel and fuss about doing it, and then have to complete it anyway.

2. Approach problems with honesty. Check in with yourself first. Could you have done something differently to make a situation better? Talk it over with your parent, if possible. If not, then talk with a caring adult such as a grandparent, aunt, teacher or counselor. If you are part of the problem, then you can be part of the solution.

3. Put yourself in your parent's place. Examine the challenges she faces daily. Offer help, and then follow through with doing simple things to make life easier for everyone in your family. Try to be understanding when resources in the form of time or money are limited. Be kind if she comes home from work in a bad mood.

4. Seek to present reasonable and reassuring reasons for an activity if your parent is unhappy about it. Examine your own motives for wanting to participate. Is it safe? Is it supervised? If you can't answer "yes" to both those questions, then don't go. Don't say to your parent "Everyone else is going," or "Everybody does it." Accept your parent's judgment of whether or not an event is right for you in the best grace you can manage.

5. Look for ways you and your parent can have fun together. Suggest watching a movie together or playing a game you both like. Cook dinner together. Do something nice for your parent as a surprise.

6. Don't blame yourself for things that are not your fault. You can be responsible for things such as doing your homework and household chores. You can work on accepting restrictions calmly. But you are not responsible for your parent's life events, and you cannot change them.

References

• Kidshealth, "Living with a Single Parent"; Colleen Sherman; 2011
• Psychology Today, "Children of Single Mothers: How Do They Really Fare?" Bella DePaulo
• Ohio State Research, "Family Stability May Be More Crucial Than Two Parents for Child Success"; Jeff Grabmeier