Search Results for: blog have you heard the term time poverty

Good and Bad News for Teenagers in America

Well its good and bad news for teenagers in America. The good news is that fewer teens are having babies and preterm birth rates are going down, along with death rates as a result of injury. There are also fewer teens participating in binge drinking. All of this comes from an annual report, “American’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011” released from the “Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics”. I wish I could leave it at that but there is also some bad news. More teens are living in conditions of poverty and homes where at least … Continue reading →

Pregnancy and Your Cell Phone

The other day, I heard a report on CNN recommending that pregnant women limit the use of cell phones. I was in the middle of the morning rush, so I didn’t catch it all and decided to do some research later. The recommendation is based on a study in the US and Denmark on cell phone use and pregnancy. The study was conducted at UCLA in California and at Aarhus in Denmark. This was a large study, looking at nearly 14,000 mothers of children born in the 1990s. The mothers were questioned about their use of cell phones during pregnancy. … Continue reading →

“Why Don’t You Have Time for Me?”

Time…is there any single element of life that the single parent struggles more with than time. There seems to never be enough and we are constantly trying to figure out how to manage it better, manufacture more time, make the best use of the time we have, and parcel it out to all of those who need it accordingly. Therefore, it can be rather painful when we hear from people—family, friends, and our children, that they are not getting enough of our time… Strangely enough, I often assume that the people in my life understand that I am doing my … Continue reading →

Time Standing Still (I Wish!)

My kitchen clock has finally given out. Now, I was under the impression that if I just kept replacing the batteries, a clock would last forever. Of course, that is not the case and after replacing the battery a couple times and finding the clock still losing time and slowing down, it finally came to a standstill. Even though we are a typical modern family with a clock in every room (including the bathroom)—for some reason, having to replace our trusty kitchen clock seems like a big deal. I think most single parent families are incredibly time-conscious. I suppose that … Continue reading →

Try to Just “Do” Today

Fussing over the past, worrying about the future—is it any wonder that we single parents can start feeling pretty stressed out! What are we going to do about that out of town business trip next month? What if that person we had the horrible date with last week calls again? Spending so much time worrying about all those things that have either already happened or have not even happened yet can really take it out of a person. Instead, working on staying in the present, and just focusing on what needs to happen today can eliminate a great deal of … Continue reading →

Windows of Productivity

Multi-tasking and time management are frequent issues for the average single parent. I have learned over the years that instead of expecting myself to be perpetually productive and efficient, I need to take advantage of those really “good” days and make the most of the windows of productivity… I know that there are single parents who are far more efficient and organized than I am, but I do not think I am a slouch when it comes to time management and organization. Still, there is just no way that I can sustain productivity and efficiency day in and day out. … Continue reading →

Quieting the “Should” Voice

From the conversations I have had with other single parents, I know that I am not alone when I confess to wrestling with the “shoulds”–it doesn’t seem to matter WHAT I am doing; how I have carefully organized my time or how productive I am attempting to be, I cannot help but think of all the other things that I SHOULD be doing too (or instead). Even if I am making the best possible decision for the moment, there always seem to be a dozen other things that I could or think that maybe I should be doing… What an … Continue reading →

Have You Heard the Term “Time Poverty”?

I was flipping through a business trade magazine this morning while sitting at my desk and came across an article that used the term “time poverty”—I haven’t heard this term before, or if I have I missed it. I decided it was the perfect term for a harried single parent—if there is one term that can often describe my wrestling with time issues it would be “time poverty”! Like many single parents, I have definitely teetered on the edge of the more traditional idea of poverty—one adult, one income and a family to support does not make for the most … Continue reading →