Single parents face challenges just as any other parent would. Battling children for their respectful attention is a hard fight. Day in and day out a single parent faces disciplinary challenges alone. Whether the child is four or eleven there are bound to be challenges and bumps along the way.
For my four-year-old it is a challenge to get her dressed in the morning. She suddenly has a strong opinion of what she should be wearing. My solution: Pick two outfits out and tell her she may choose one. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. Medicine is also an issue. It is cold and flu season now and it seems I always have to pull out the liquid medicine before she heads off to preschool. She has, however decided that she enjoys one color over the other and refuses to take the red medicine. So, I use basic cognitive behavioral techniques. The reward system is what I use in this scenario where there is a reward or a punishment. If she is a good girl and takes her medicine she will be rewarded by being able to take her favorite stuffed animal to school that day. If not, the kitty must stay home. Works like a charm. Well, at least one out of ten times.
Parenting is not easy and it is never easy to be the “bad” guy. As a single parent it is more challenging because there is no one there to assist. No one is there to be a team with. Having someone to talk with after you have just had to be the “bad” guy is so important. Find a friend or family member who understands the challenges of parenting and get a dialogue going about this subject. It is cathartic to discuss it and you will probably get some good ideas from one another how better to deal with discipline situations.