Search Results for: blog interruptions define the life of a single parent

Single Parents are Do-it-Yourself Experts

I know that title sounds a little snooty and I don’t mean to imply that somehow single parents are “better” than anyone else in any way—but I did want to say something encouraging, positive, and I believe—pretty accurate. When I think of all the single parents I know, most of them are pretty thrifty and creative and quite versed in the ways of the do-it-yourselfer… I think that there is truth to the old saying that necessity is the mother of invention—there’s nothing like a limited budget, limited time, and a healthy helping of need to inspire a person to … Continue reading →

Single Parents and Chores and Errands–On the Weekend or During the Week?

Time management is one of those ongoing and heated topics of conversation amongst single parents–how do we get everything done and still have time to pay loving attention to our selves and our kids? One of the issues that comes up for single parents is how to manage household chores and errands like grocery shopping–do you save it up and do it on the weekend? Or do you try to squeeze them in during the week so you can spend weekends with your family? I confess that I try to get as much as possible done during the week so … Continue reading →

Single Parent Tip—Leave Yourself Messages

Several years ago, I first learned of the “leaving yourself messages” tip from a busy single mom who was also a co-worker. I was talking with her one day about a work project and she excused herself to call her home answering machine and leave a message reminding her to take care of something. I thought this was such a fabulous idea! Instead of writing yet another note or adding to an already-too-long “to do” list—leaving oneself messages can be incredibly efficient. Now, there are all sorts of ways to use technology to keep yourself on track. For a single … Continue reading →

How Long is a Single Parent’s Day?

Well, of course, single parents get the same 24 hours that everyone else does in any given day–but I would swear some of my days are twice that long. With three teens and three jobs, a household to run and plenty of chores and errands–from the time I pull myself out of bed in the morning to the moment I let my slip back in–it can seem like two or three very long days! I have confessed to a friend or two that if there was one thing that I wish people understood about life as a single parent is … Continue reading →

The Rhythm of Life Might Have a Different Beat for the Single Parent Family

Family life definitely had a rhythm—there is a cadence and a vernacular that is especially suited to life with children and you just don’t get it without. Not to mention, parenthood brings out a different side to a person—usually one he or she had no idea existed. The single parent family has a different rhythm too—one that is NOT the same as the two-parent family scene… If you’ve experienced family life in a different arrangement—say prior to becoming a single parent, it can take a while to adjust to and discover the new family rhythm. For a while, everything may … Continue reading →

Interruptions Define the Life of a Single Parent

If someone was to ask me what a person about to embark on single parenthood should prepare for (and people sometimes do ask me similar questions), I would say: Interruptions. The reality of a single parent’s life is that focusing on one task, or what you think you need to be doing at any one time is darn near impossible–every day is one interruption after another. Now, this isn’t to say that living a life of interruptions is necessarily negative or “less than” living a more mellow and focused life, but it is the way things go when you’ve got … Continue reading →

Finding Time for One to Ones

I think one of the biggest challenges for a single parent who has more than one child is finding time to spend time together one on one—so many things tend to be done in a group. When my kids were small, we did most of our recreation as a group and if I could get them on the same sports teams, I did—just to make things do-able in terms of time management. But having that parent-child time is so important; it’s just tough for a single parent to carve that out of a busy schedule. As a parent of three … Continue reading →