So, what’s it like being a single parent? Pretty much the same as being a married parent, you just have to do everything all alone. We have the same hopes and dreams, and have the same worries and fears. Sometimes we have them for different reasons though. With a few extras added in there that are specific to being a single parent. Some of the same fears with different reasons include….
1. Finances. We have to make enough money to support our family by ourself. We have to work to cover the bills. We only have one income, and that is by necessity. We are often living from paycheck to paycheck. We are often stuck in jobs we don’t like because we need the money to support our family. Very often we are working more than one job just to make ends meet.
2. Guilt for not spending as much time with our children as we would like, and maybe as much as we should. We are so worried about our finances that, as I said above, most of us have to work more than one job. This means a lot less time with and for our children. Some of us are lucky enough to find flexible jobs that allow us to be with our children more, and those of us that have are very thankful for that.
3. Our few occasion when we lose our temper and yell at our kids. We are the parent that our children spend most of their time with, and in some cases, the only parent the children spend time with. Does that mean our outbursts will have more of an effect on them because of that?
4. Do we eat too much fast food and what is it doing to my child? Some of my friends who are single parents worry about this. They have so many things going on in a day, or they work so late, that by the time it’s time to eat, grabbing some fast food is the easiest and quickest way to go.
5. Am I doing what’s right for my child? As a married parent, you have a partner. You have someone to have discussions with about your children, and though you still wonder if you are doing what’s right, you have the knowledge that it’s been discussed and together you have come to this decision. As a single parent, you can discuss the situations with other people and get different opinions, but in the end, it’s your decision. If it’s the wrong one, you and you alone are to blame.