Search Results for: blog the stress and strain of last minute requests

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 →

Money Issues Can be a Trigger

It has been so long since I have NOT been a single parent, it is tough for me to remember whether money issues were a big deal for me or not. I think I worried less since there was more coming in, and two adults working to keep the coffers full. Many single parents that I have talked to confess that money issues are a HUGE trigger, if not the major trigger for stress and worry. While I have read many a book about “flow” and “letting go” and not clutching on to things like money, my experience as a … Continue reading →

Single Parent Holiday Tip–Break it Into Do-able Chunks

Time management during the holiday season is NOT the exclusive territory of single parents, but I have found over the years that there are some added stressors and challenges that creep up on a single parent during this time of year. While all of us can use some tips and suggestions for how to get through the season with a minimum of “overwhelm”–here are some tips for the maxed-out single parent: I have learned to start early, and instead of trying to do everything in a couple days, I break it up into more manageable chunks. This way I don’t … Continue reading →

Holiday Visitors and the Single Parent Family

Visiting is a HUGE part of what the holiday season is all about—whether it is traveling over the river and through the woods for an old-fashioned family meal, or a cocktail party for coworkers and colleagues, most of us are called up to step up our social lives from mid-November until January 1st. For a single parent family, hosting parties, putting up holiday visitors, and even coordinating childcare for other social outings during this busy season can be a real challenge! Many of you know that I have three children and they all have very different temperaments. When they were … Continue reading →

The Stress and Strain of Last-Minute Requests

I wrote yesterday about what a relief it can be as a single parent to get to a place where you’ve built up some practical reserves and are not just flying by the seat of your pants. However, since most of us are on extremely snug budgets, it might not take much to put a strain on all of our best-laid plans. In my world, my kids can be the biggest culprits for those last-minute requests. Despite the fact that I have tried to hammer into my kids’ heads that budgeting is key in our family and that if they … Continue reading →