How Can Single Parents Overcome The Challenges Of Solo Parenthood
4 min readOf all the many instances of being a parent, single parenthood may probably be the hardest of them all. You wake up every day, knowing that you are all alone in raising your child and that there is no one else to help you. While this may be a scary thought solo parents have to deal with all the time, there are actually many ways you can effortlessly jump the hurdles of their quandary. How can you overcome he challenges of solo parenthood?
The challenges
As a single parent, we all know that child rearing is such as tremendous task especially that you have to act as both the provider and the caretaker. Because you need to play two roles at once, you will definitely be faced by different adversaries—and the amount of stress induced by single parenthood is twice.
Aside from single-handedly dealing with the problems of both parents, solo parents also have to deal with physical, emotional, and mental stress as well as fatigue. These things, if not dealt with as soon as possible, may prevent you from being able to provide for your family’s needs or even take care of your child.
Finally, there’s the financial aspect of being a solo parent. In some Filipino households, both parents have to work just to be able to meet the financial needs of the whole family. However, single parents don’t have the same luxury to have someone to split the bill with, and they have to foot the expenses all by themselves.
Unfortunately, there still are many problems that hanging over the heads of single parents, and these are just some of the recurring ones.
There are ways, of course
Fortunately, there are many ways people who take the road of solo parenthood can do to make sure that all speedbumps are manageable, and even if you have to play both the mom and dad alone, you can still tend to the needs and wants of your child without burning both of your ends. Here are the ways to make single parenthood work for you.
Talk to your boss
Single parenthood may be something that you did not choose, but that doesn’t mean that your workplace cannot adjust to you. If your schedule demands you to tend to your child’s needs during work hours, you may want to talk to your management regarding flexible schedule. More often than not, your status may be considered and you and your employer can meet halfway.
Look at work-at-home opportunities
Sometimes, your boss may not be lenient enough to accommodate to your situation, and if management isn’t considerate enough, you may want to start packing your things and get a new job. With the dawn of the high-speed internet and cheaper laptops, more and more work-at-home jobs are on the market. Try your luck at these jobs and you can spend more time to rear your child.
Create a routine…
If you want to streamline your life as a solo parent, make sure to create a routine that will allow you to move smoothly between being a parent and an employee. When you move like clockwork, you can basically micromanage your double life more easily and you avoid potential snags.
…but be flexible enough
While it is true that having a routine when you are a single parent will make you more effective in dealing with problems, you still need to leave a little room for flexibility in case there are unforeseen circumstances that will arise. For instance, you may need to leave your work to attend some emergency, and you should be able to attend to your child’s needs first.
Family first
At the end of the day, it always has to be about your family. While your employer may be able to provide for your child’s needs, you need to prioritize your kid’s needs over other things. After all, you may leave your job or your employer may drop you in the future, but your child will never do that to you. And that is something far more important than money.
Have an emergency fund
You’ll never know when emergencies arise—whether it is your child getting sick or some snag in school that you have to pay, you need to make sure that you have financial leeway to be able to squirm through these instances.
It’s all worth it in the end
Being a solo parent may be inexplicable hard; after all, you have to play a lot of roles to make sure that your child will grow in an environment of love and compassion. But even if you are alone in this journey, it doesn’t mean that accomplishing that is an impossible task. Sure, it can be draining and physically demanding, but in the end, it’s all worth it.