Single Parenting Tips: How to Be a Strong Single Parent for Your Kids

Single parenting is no longer stigmatized or unusual as it was a few years ago. Times have drastically changed and so have family systems. In the current times, the percentage of kids raised by single parents is much higher than that raised by dual parents.

There are several reasons why a single parent would need to raise a family by him or herself. Some of the reasons include divorce, death, and personal choice. Irrespective of the reason, it is true that single parents have to go through more challenges than most co-parents. From managing finances to running the home to raising kids all by yourself can be a tad challenging for a single parent.

Imagine waking up as a single parent in the morning. You wake up your kids for school, prepare breakfast for them, feed them, and then drop them at school. Then, you go to the office, finish your job, pick your kids from school, and come back home. After that, you prepare dinner for them, feed them, bathe them and then put them to bed all by yourself. There is no help for you. However, following effective and helpful positive parenting tips can make your job much easier.

No doubt parenting kids all alone can be an arduous task. That is why we are going to recommend you some effective single parenting tips to make your job easier.

Effective Single Parenting Tips

Here’s how you can raise your kids better as a single parent:

Set Proper Routine

First and foremost, it is essential to create a proper schedule and routine for your kids. Once they have a proper routine to follow, they will know what to do, what to expect, and how to go about their day. By helping your kids follow their daily routine, you can reduce a lot of stress and burden off your shoulders. You can set proper schedules for their meals, sleep time, outdoor and indoor activities, etc. Along with creating proper routines for weekdays, you can also create schedules for weekends. For instance, on weekends, you can make your kids watch their favorite movies or go out for a picnic.  

Give Your Kids Love, Praise, and Attention That They Deserve

As single parents need to take of all the finances for their families, they may not be able to provide everything for themselves or their kids. It’s important to understand that you do not need to make your kids happy by getting them expensive gifts or taking them to exotic places. Instead, you can spoil them with lots of love, praise, and attention that they deserve.

You do not always require extra bucks to keep your kids entertained. You can consider low-cost or free activities such as taking them on adventurous walks, baking cake with them on weekends, watching movies with them on Netflix, etc. Focus more on spending quality time with them and create exciting and fun memories with them. Praise them often and give them all the love and attention that they crave for.

Teach and Model Gratitude

Kids raised in a single-parenting atmosphere sometimes may feel inferiority complex that they cannot have things or they are missing out on experiences that other kids and families have. Many kids raised by single parents often complain about not having both parents present at a school event, having less money, or not being able to visit a certain place for the holidays.

If kids only focus on the things that they cannot have, they will more likely end up unhappy and depressed. It is important to teach kids to keep a positive mindset no matter what situation they are in. They should be taught to be thankful for all the things that they have. They should practice gratitude and be thankful for things such as the roof over their head, gifts that they receive from their single parents, time that their parents spend with them despite hectic work schedules, etc.

Give Yourself and Your Kids A Pat on the Back

Life can be quite challenging for single parents. Since they have to manage everything on their own, sometimes they can become frustrated and become too hard on themselves and their kids. They become so engrossed in maintaining a work-life balance that they completely forget to go easy on their families.

As a single parent, you need to give yourself and your kids enough credit for all the efforts and hard work you put in. Praise your kids and honor them with gifts if they show exemplary academic performance. Treat them with something sweet by baking them cupcakes when they exhibit the best behavior and follow discipline in front of guests. You should always take time out to compliment and praise one another after the day end.

Keep in Touch with Similar Families

There is no doubt that all parents, even if they are single parents, need some time out with their friends. The same goes for the kids. It’s important to connect with similar families who might be leading the same life like yours or might be facing the same challenges as yours.

You can make friends with another single parent who has kids of your age so that both families can connect. You can take turns with each other by watching over your kids and engage in activities together. You can plan picnics, watch movies, have sleepovers, and have meals together to increase familiarity and love between both families.

Monitor Your Kids Closely

Monitor your kids closely should be a part of your routine. No matter if you are raising your kids single-handedly, you should not forget to monitor their activities, both online and offline. You should be aware of your kid’s online activities and know what they do on the internet. For that, you can consider installing a monitoring app like Mobistealth on their electronic devices. Download and install the app on their smartphones, enter your Mobistealth login details, and remotely monitor your kids online.

Keep a check on their outdoor activities as well. Track their whereabouts (again, with a cell phone tracking/monitoring app), see what places they frequently visit, and what sort of friends they hang out with. By knowing everything about their lives, you can guide them better and help them stay away from potential risks.