Health Articles

Posts Tagged ‘single parenting’

Single parenting issues

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Whether a single parent for the indeterminate future or just for the week, beware of the temptation to handle everything alone. While the Helen Reddy tune, “I Am Woman,” may be playing in your mind, you do not need to be strong and independent perpetually. Caring for a child, home, finances, and all responsibilities involved is time, energy, and thought consuming. Being extremely independent may be detrimental to you and your family. If you find yourself resistant to accepting help, examine your reasons and consider some changes.

There are numerous reasons you may maintain total self-reliance. One is to prove to yourself that you’re a supermom. Challenging yourself to reach a goal is great for the daily workout, but not for life 24/7. The human body needs rest for optimum health and the mind needs periods of quiet to recharge. Your family requires a healthy mother to nurture them. But a non-stop supermom will eventually falter with impatience, mistakes or illness. Staying healthy and keeping your mind sharp results in safe driving, correct medication, and patient help with homework.

Another reason you may be strictly self-sufficient is to prove your worth to others. Whether you are trying to show up someone who has voiced reservations about your ability or trying to impress someone with your skills, you may sink your own ship by overdoing. Your focus should be to take good care of yourself so you can take great care of your family. Leave the judgmental thoughts of other people where they belong, in the other people.

Once you have examined the motives behind your reluctance to ask for or accept help, think of how you have been demonstrating it. You may have telegraphed your feelings to others without knowing it. Do you occasionally invite others to your home and offer to visit? Do you exchange pleasantries with your neighbors and show sincere interest in what they offer to share? The manner in which you decline an offer can speak volumes. If an offer is rejected coldly, a potential friend may never offer again.

Family and community interdependence has been a necessary part of life from earliest mankind. Clans and tribes formed because no individual could have survived natural elements for long. But society today presents the ability to live within yards of others and still be in seclusion. The modern mum may be isolating herself without meaning to. However, opportunities for new relationships abound and lost ones might be regained. Consider the benefits of shedding some independence and opening your life to others.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Parenting | No Comments »

The Difficulties of Single Parenting

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Raising a child is hard enough for two parents, let alone one. Yet still, more and more people find themselves left as the sole caretakers of their child or, in some cases, children. According to a government report released in 2007, there are 13.6 million single parents in the United States alone, and they are responsible for raising some 21.2 million children, or just over a quarter of the nation’s youth population. Some are balancing one or more jobs, others are going to school in pursuit of a degree, while others are just new to parenting in general and wish they had some help.

The challenges involved in raising a child alone are numerous, whether the parent is a female or a male. Parents can end up on their own many different ways. Be it due to a divorce or separation, a death, or a voluntary decision (like adoption), single parents are forced to provide for their children financially, morally and emotionally. At the same time, they’re usually responsible for most of the day-to-day tasks that everyone has to tend to, like taking care of their residence. Finding the time for all of that, their children, and-as crazy as it may sound-themselves is a very real and serious challenge that can easily overwhelm just about anyone. Luckily, single parents aren’t as helpless as they think. There are a few important tips that they can follow that will make their lives easier and also create a better environment for their children.

One important thing for single parents to know is that they shouldn’t be afraid to accept help. While couples can ideally rely on one another for support when necessary, single parents don t always have someone else in the house to turn to. Once their children reach a certain age, they may become slightly more self-sufficient and thus capable of taking care of themselves or even one another, but until then, they may require adult supervision of some kind at all times, creating a difficult dilemma for their parents. Hiring help may not be an option, particularly given how challenging it is to raise children on a single income in the current economy. This may be a good time, then, to turn to family and friends for help, or at least to accept it when offered. It will give parents time to shift gears and keep things together, plus it will give their children exposure to trusted family and friends who could serve as valuable role models.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Parenting | 2 Comments »