The Difficulties That Single Parents Face
Single parents do the work of both parents in the same amount of time. Stress and hardship are second nature to a single parent who carries the responsibility of caring for the children, working and household duties. Many single parents find having a support network of friends or family helps with the difficulties of parenting alone.
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Financial Stress
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The major difficulty single parents experience is financial. Even with financial support from the other parent, the cost of paying all the household expenses means being on a tight budget. Lack of help from the child's other parent might mean the family lives in poverty, or the single parent works more than one job to make ends meet.
Emotional Stress
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Single parents face emotional stress of raising their children alone. All the guilt when a child exhibits bad behaviors falls on the sole parent. Disciplining a child without a partner to ever take that role can make a single parent feel bad that she doesn't ever get to be "the good guy."
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Work-Life Balance
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Finding a balance between work and family is a big concern for single parents. Because of financial and household obligations, there is little time for fun in a single-parent family. Sleep is often fleeting so as to get everything done on time. Single parents face isolation without realizing it because their children come first. Making time for themselves is often not a priority, or affordable, for single parents.
The Other Parent
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Dealing with the child's other parent is stressful whether the parent is involved or not. When there is a parent uninvolved in a child's life, there is always the desire that there would be some contact for the child's sake. Anger with the other parent for shirking his responsibilities is a common feeling. If a child has visitation with the other parent, there is the interaction with the ex putting stress on the single parent. Trying to co-parent a child with a person outside of a relationship is frustrating when both parents can't agree.
Personal Health
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Single parents often put personal health last. Their children come first, with work and other obligations following. Responsibilities build up over time and single parents often try to do everything else before taking care of themselves. Making time for doctor's visits, exercise and even sleep fall down the list of priorities. This leads to severe health issues if continued over long periods of time.
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