Living the Single Mom Life:
Being a Single Parent
Mallory Dean
ENGL 111
Professor
Ivy Tech Community College
November 24, 2014

Living the Single Mom Life:
Being a Single Parent Parenting is hard work in itself; you’re teaching a human that is much smaller than you and doesn’t understand life like we do, how to live and deal with life. If this doesn’t sound scary add being a single parent on top of that. Being the main source of income, while trying to get to all your child’s plays and sport games without ripping out your hair; welcome to single parenthood. Being a single parent can also be rewarding. Watching your child grow up, go off to college and become the person they have always wanted to be and sitting back thinking to yourself, “I did it, I made their dreams come true” is every parents dream. It isn’t always fun and games, it has its ups and downs.
Work Schedule That Suits You Being a single parent you’re the only source of income. If you don’t have a college degree this can make things difficult because of all the things that need to be paid for. If you are currently looking for a job make sure it will work with you since you have a little one because anything can come up. If you’re currently looking for a career to go into to, look for one that has a flexible schedule and you won’t be working long twelve hour shifts. Pick a job or career that is understanding when you have to leave work early to pick up your child and take them somewhere because they are sick or have a doctor’s appointment.
Some Things You Can’t Control
Like most things in the world we can’t control everything that goes on in this crazy world, and the day your child’s other parent says they are going to show up to hang out, or to the little league baseball game and don’t, well you can’t control that either. As hard as it might be, we have to let some things go because it’s not about what they do it’s about what we do. As long as we show up and support our little one on the winning basket that was made that’s all that matters. Just remember, they will remember who was at their games cheering them on or in the audience while they played in Romeo and Juliet on stage at the school play.
Calm Down
No one is perfect, and we all have a limit but lashing out and screaming and yelling doesn’t help or solve anything. Make sure you take yourself away from situations like that and do whatever you have to do to calm down and breathe. Being a single parent you will most likely lose your cool faster because you have no one to hand off your crazy wild child to. The situation might get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. Things to do to be able not blow up might be to leave the room and count to ten, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Male Role Models Dad not being in the picture means it’s up to you to show your son or daughter what a good male figure does. If grandpa or uncle show up at games, or performances be sure to make a big deal about how they never miss one, or are always there showing their support. If you have a “man job” that needs to be done and you have your dad or brother or even a guy friend come over to help, make sure you show how appreciative you are, and how state how nice it was of them to do those jobs for you. Your child won’t know what ‘good’ male role models are unless you teach them.

Always Come Prepared Never leave the house without the snacks, sippy cups, or an extra pair of clothes. This is still important to do even if you weren’t a single parent, but it’s more important now than ever because