Any other single parents out there who feel totally overwhelmed ? shadowkeeper: I've been doing this single parent thing for a number of years now. Lately I feel like I can't keep up anymore. Can't seem to manage my time to do everything I need to do in a day. Taking care of the needs of my aged parents who live a few miles away, working, raising my daughter.... it seems like the only person I don't have time for is me. Outside of work I have nearly no adult contact or conversation most days. I would love to hear from other single parents and how they manage to live and still have a life....  (Post deleted by pinkphenomenon )  Mimee_red: A little bit of planning and balance can make single parenting much more pleasant. I try and make my kids more independent and there is that time of the day when they know that mom needs some time to herself. Making a few ground rules help if u have titbits of fun in between..like a game of chess, a movie, some meditation, etc...its not easy I know but the funtimes makes it all worthwhile.  MollyJ: Yes, it is very overwhelming. Sometimes it just feels like you are kind of stumbling along in a daze. (Post deleted by pinkphenomenon ) Kkbeautymama19: Im 19 and have two children a 1 year old son nd a 3 year old daughter with a dead beat baby dad ive been doin it all on my own I work go to school take care of them al day every day and im only 19 it is tirering bein a single mom for sure and its not easy but if I can do it at 19 u can do it to hun rhorgan: I feel you there. I am a single stay at home mom with a two year old child who has apraxia. I feel overwhelmed all the time. But thanks to God, he is getting me through all of it with my sanity intact. beinygirl: it is very overwhelming being a single mom and or dad. I've just become a single mom within the past 9 months and its hard and overwhelming at times...very overwhelming.....Yes my kids dad is still in their lives and says he'll help out when he can but I have yet to hear him volunteer to take his son to his soccer games or his daughter to her baseball game..... but it is what it is and I deal with it. I have learned that a calendar with everything from pizza days to dentist/doctor appointments to the kids sports games/practices is a life saver. I have learned that giving my kids simple chores to do around the house is helpful. I have learned that on the weekends that I don't have my kids (I have them 90% of the time) to take time for myself and relax, have a nap, go for a walk, meet up with friends, did I say nap...lol. And I've learned that life without my kids would be boring and lonely. Yes there are some days I tell them" that there are reasons some species EAT their young" and there are days that I want to rip my hair out and days I want to bawl my eyes out to anyone who will listen and days I would like to rent my kids out for a few hours...lol - just kidding...lol....but honestly I wouldn't trade it for the world. When things are to crazy and i'm about to lose my mind, I go out to my backyard close the door behind me, grab my watering can and water my flowers. Its a quick 10 minutes of "Me Time' and it seems to help.......  DEEP_acheleg: one of my co-workers, and very good friends, is a single father, as the mother is institutionalized. as most males, he keeps his emotions bottled, and, thusly, avoids social contact when under stress (which is mostly when his babysitter cancels, and he has to miss work). i had a good talk with him yesterday, but realized the discussion was getting out of his comfort zone, so, i referred him for stress counseling at a sliding scale facility. he seemed to appreciate the referral as much, or even more, than he appreciated me trying to talk his problems out with him. rhorgan: I am a single mother of a two and a half year old and his father doesn't give me money and I am waiting for a court date for child support. Yes I do get overwhelmed all the time. DEEP_acheleg: unfortunately, dodging child support is not the hardest trick to perform; however, balancing work with childcare is a much bigger concern, from what i have seen, in the single parent equation. non-payment of child support is the kind of thing that should just be assumed, and counted a miracle when it comes thru. its one of those sad-but-true things in society. the money is only one aspect of the single parent condition- the bigger picture is very simple- the well-being of the children. a monthly check is necesarry to provide for a child; however, having both a present and involved mother AND father figure is of much greater benefit to a young child than parenting by proxy (child support) (Edited by DEEP_acheleg) DEEP_acheleg: not that im family shopping; however, due to the large number of inheritable illnesses which run thru both sides of my family, i would be happy to find a single mother and treat her child as my own. my only caveat is "baby daddy drama". and this is a total side note, and it has more to do with the fact that i prove myself a responsible parent by NOT spreading my genes- in fear that my child will have to go thru the issues i have inherited from my parents. mommyintoson: spank them when needed, Just kidding, go out and get drunk when you feel overwhelmed, or go get LIAD that is even better or do both  (Post deleted by staff ) | Parenting Chat Room 33 People Chatting Similar Conversations |
