Tag Archives: coordination

When You Have to Sleep at Different Times Than Your Child

In the perfect single parent world, we would all have manageable schedules and get up and have the healthy, unhurried breakfast with our children; go about our days; come back together for a leisurely supper and then all climb into bed around the same time for a good night’s sleep. As most of you know, that ideal is just not the reality for many of us. I think one of the most challenging things for a single parent is when his or her work and sleep schedule are completely different from the needs of the children. Not all jobs are … Continue reading →

The Logistics of Grocery Shopping with Two or More

Many things are tougher as a single parent when you are out-numbered. One parent to one child is a pretty fair match and it is when you have more children than adults (which happens in many single parent families) that things start to get really challenging. Going to the grocery store for a single parent with more than one child can take precision, coordination and determination… As a single parent of three, very close in age, I developed a few strategies for grocery shopping. First, whenever possible, I went on my lunch hour or left work a little early and … Continue reading →

Herding Turtles

Years ago, when my children were all much younger, my mother once commented while I was trying to get the three of them headed in the same direction at the same time that it was just like “herding turtles.” With three kids in three years, there were times when it was more than challenging. But the truth is, it was much easier to get them all coordinated and organized when they were younger, than it is now that they are all older teens! Now, getting all three of them in the same room on the same day at the same … Continue reading →

Do You Coordinate Gifts With Your Child’s Other Parent?

“Coordination” is not always something that comes easily for divorced or separated (or never-partnered) co-parents. While some of us do manage to get along and make some joint parenting decisions, others of us find it to be a real struggle. This time of year, one of the issues that comes up is gifts–who gets what? Do you talk about your gift list for your child and divide things up? Is it each parent on his own? Do you ever go together on a large, joint gift? Does one parent just contribute financially and the other buys all the gifts? My … Continue reading →

Sharing and Coordinating Vacations

For those of us single parents who also have another parent in the picture, coordination and sharing can be the “names of the game”—we are called upon to coordinate all sorts of things between two households (or more) and find a way to make sure our kids are able to stay in contact with various relatives, and spend leisure time with both parents and both families. Since summer time can mean vacation time, this means coordinating vacations and that can take some effort… The upside of the two households is that kids can get double the vacations. This is how … Continue reading →