Adam's Apple
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- Apr 25, 2004
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Single Parents Can Do A Good Job
By Doreen Nagle, Gannett News Service
April 11, 2005
There's nothing like going to experts to get the best advice. Here are tips about single parenting from those who know: experienced single parents.
Hire someone to help with the housework so you'll have more family time. Tight budget? Then lower your housekeeping standards. Either way, if you were to ask your child what he'd rather have, a clean house or more time with you, this is exactly what he'd tell you to do.
Take a block of focused time with your child each day, but also give yourself a daily solo retreat. Listen to quiet music, read your favorite spiritually uplifting book or just rest in a comfy chair with your eyes closed. These are not selfish luxuries; they are necessities, because they help you reduce stress, which means you'll be a better parent.
Be sure to care for yourself all day long, too. You know the drill: eat well, exercise (sorry, diet alone won't maintain a healthy weight), get enough sleep.
Be careful not to step over the line from parent-child relationship into best buddies. Worse yet, don't make your child into a substitute partner. When just the two of you spend so much time alone together, it's easy to lose perspective. You are the parent and therefore in charge when it comes to discipline and setting the rules. On the up side, because it is just the two of you, you have a great opportunity to develop a strong bond with your child.
Learn the difference between the circumstances you can control and those you can't. You can't choose the day your child gets sick, but you can choose to make sure you are doing what is necessary to keep her healthy.
http://www.indystar.com/articles/7/235852-4117-047.html
By Doreen Nagle, Gannett News Service
April 11, 2005
There's nothing like going to experts to get the best advice. Here are tips about single parenting from those who know: experienced single parents.
Hire someone to help with the housework so you'll have more family time. Tight budget? Then lower your housekeeping standards. Either way, if you were to ask your child what he'd rather have, a clean house or more time with you, this is exactly what he'd tell you to do.
Take a block of focused time with your child each day, but also give yourself a daily solo retreat. Listen to quiet music, read your favorite spiritually uplifting book or just rest in a comfy chair with your eyes closed. These are not selfish luxuries; they are necessities, because they help you reduce stress, which means you'll be a better parent.
Be sure to care for yourself all day long, too. You know the drill: eat well, exercise (sorry, diet alone won't maintain a healthy weight), get enough sleep.
Be careful not to step over the line from parent-child relationship into best buddies. Worse yet, don't make your child into a substitute partner. When just the two of you spend so much time alone together, it's easy to lose perspective. You are the parent and therefore in charge when it comes to discipline and setting the rules. On the up side, because it is just the two of you, you have a great opportunity to develop a strong bond with your child.
Learn the difference between the circumstances you can control and those you can't. You can't choose the day your child gets sick, but you can choose to make sure you are doing what is necessary to keep her healthy.
http://www.indystar.com/articles/7/235852-4117-047.html
