Strangely enough, I think I use more math in my every day life as a single parent than I did when I was partnered. Even though I paid most of the bills when there were two of us, we also had two incomes and two people spending money. As a single parent, I have become completely independent with my finances, but I have also had to learn about investing, retirement and as a small business owner, there has been a boost in the need for math there. I truly believe that every single parent needs to make sure that he or she has some basic math skills and works to develop where they are lacking.
Besides basic adding and subtracting, we really need to know how to manage our money and balance an account; we also need to understand how to budget and this involves some multiplication and division skills. Okay, so maybe I do not need to know how to do complicated algebraic equations, but I definitely use basic math on a constant and daily basis. It is important not to be intimidated by math since as a single parent; you really need to be the number one mathematician in your household.
Fortunately, if you are feeling weak in your math skills, there are plenty of ways to boost your knowledge. You may not have to go further than one of your children’s textbooks. If he or she is old enough to be working on math in school that is challenging and at your level, you may be able to do some basic review using your child’s books. Your library is also a good resource for some good basic math courses and you can even get computer learning products and work on math skills while on your computer. You can also take a traditional class and your local junior or community college, or adult education center is a great place to look for appropriate classes. A few weeks brushing up on basic math skills can give you more confidence to handle the budgeting and financing challenges that face every single parent.