How to Survive as a Single Parent
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Being a single parent is not easy, especially if you also happen to be an orphan. I should know the struggles since I am a single mom and also an orphan.
Imagine not having the luxury of crying because of a partner abandoning you while pregnant with your second child.
Not the happy ending I wished for, but life can happen worse than you can imagine.
But how did I survive all that and still fighting on my own up to this day that my kids have grown up?
How to Survive as a Single Parent
1. Assess Your Situation
When my ex suddenly left without a word, I immediately assessed the gravity of the situation. I'm jobless because my second pregnancy is more sensitive than my first. Plus, the ex told me to quit my job already since he got a promotion anyway.
So I'm left without a job while pregnant, and I have a toddler to take care of as well. During those times, not everyone is selling online. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was able to become an online seller when eBay was just starting.
The point is, don't wallow in tears because you feel abandoned and betrayed. You have to find a way to support your kids during these times. Find a solution as fast as you can since you will need to feed them multiple times a day, and formula milk doesn't cost cheap.
2. Prepare Plan A to Z
Kids can be unpredictable, especially during the infant and toddler years. Even if you are already doing well financially and emotionally, something terrible will happen. When one of your kids is sick, prepare sets of medicines since the others will follow.
It also applies when they are already in school. When someone needs to do a project as their homework, expect that it will be multiplied by the number of your children. That means that you will need to make as much money as you can to keep up.
Having a nanny was my ultimate problem when my kids were still small. Aside from the high fees, most nannies around here are not reliable. I have to jump from one job to another since I'm always absent when nobody can take care of them.
3. Work From Home
The best thing that I discovered twelve years ago is the work-from-home setup. I was able to do this when Upwork was still Odesk. The competition was not that steep before, and I managed to get some projects.
If you're a single parent, your only salvation is to work from home. That way, you can have a reliable babysitter for your kids, a.k.a. You! There's nothing more qualified to take care of them than you, so it's better to find a job that will eliminate the issue with child care.
Although I'm on and off with working outside and working from home, I managed to become a content writer for several years now. That means that I was able to take care of my kids, and now I have a twelve-year-old. Not bad for surviving single parenthood.
4. Try Lazy Parenting
If you're a single parent and don't have any idea how to be both mother and father to your kids, you can try lazy parenting. It doesn't mean that you won't be an excellent parent to your kids. It means that you can just be a cool parent instead.
When the kids are fighting or doing the not allowed stuff that they do anyway, just tell them that they aren't supposed to do that. Then just let it go and let them figure it out. Your job is to guide them, not to punish them.
Make them part of the plan and hold a family meeting. Give them their responsibilities so that they will learn something that they can use when they become adults. You don't have to do everything when they can already do it themselves.
5. Take a Break and Repeat
Sometimes, being a single parent can be draining. Since you have to play the role of a mother and father at the same time, it will tire you up. But nobody tells you that you can have a break, so just take it because you need it.
If you have to spend some time with yourself, go ahead and do that. You need to be away from your kids even for a few minutes to keep your sanity. Treat yourself and stop feeling guilty about it. You're doing it for them more than for yourself anyway.
Conclusion
Being a parent is hard in general since you are responsible for the new generations that you have created. However single parents have a more challenging time since they have to work double-time to compensate for the absence of a partner.
But whatever happens, you will survive your everyday tasks as a single parent. Just keep on trying to make it as smooth as possible. It may be challenging, but you will get used to it. Seeing your kids grow will be the best award that you can get in the future so keep on surviving.
