Filling Out Forms and Papers

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

25 Sep 2007 02:14 PM

We often talk about the psychological and emotional realities of being a single parent and heading up a family as the solo parent, but there are plenty of logistics that come into play too. Over the years, I've found that filling out forms and papers for my kids-everything from school registration forms, field trip permission forms, and even my own application for a passport-have required me to put some thought and consideration into my single parent status and how our family is configured.

What are some of the questions that single parents face? Well, are you going to list the child's other parent as a co-parent or as an emergency contact? Do the "other" grandparents get included as potential emergency contacts or do you use someone who is a close friend of yours? I don't always know when I should check "single" for myself and when I need to check "divorced." I was shocked and annoyed to find out that when I filled out my application for a passport earlier in the year that I needed to list all sorts of information about my long-dead marriage. Even for those of us who think we've figured it all out, it can be surprising to come upon a form that brings back all that confusion.

I've found that when I am really perplexed, I ask someone for advice or information. Of course, they don't always know but since divorce and single parent families are increasingly common, it generally isn't something they haven't seen before. Be prepared to change forms and information as your family changes. This means that you have to keep up with your child's other parents details like address and phone number (I confess that this is a place where I'm not always up-to-date). If your child is going on a field trip or to summer camp, make sure to choose people for emergency contacts who will actually be available and who KNOW they have been chosen-don't just put down someone's name and hope they won't be called.

Be diligent and don't get intimidated, and don't be afraid to ask if you can include extra information or make changes to the form in order to accurately reflect your family situation.

Also: Finding Single Parent Family Friendly Service Providers

Single Parent Families Don't Have to Be Chaotic

Making the Tough Decisions and Choices on Your Own

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