Single Parenting
Being a single parent is both rewarding and challenging especially if you are a college student. Trying to take care of your children, connecting with friends and family, taking care of yourself, your finances and your household and doing school work make for a busy life. It is not unusual for single parent students to feel overwhelmed and time pressured on occasion.Tips for Students who are Single Parents
- Accept help. When others offer help, take it. This can mean having someone play with your child while you study for a test or having someone to call when you need to talk.
- Arrange as many supports as possible before beginning school. Making arrangements for services such as daycare, after school care, transportation, housing, and financial assistance ahead of time will make it easier to focus on your studies and give you peace of mind.
- Make an emergency list. Decide and arrange who can help you if an emergency happens like having a sick child on the day that you have to write an exam.
- Take advantage of college and community services. There are many services both at the college and in the community that might be able to assist you.
- Get organized. Make lists for yourself and keep a family calendar with everyone's schedule. Delegate responsibilities when you can.
- Set some priorities and boundaries. It will be hard to juggle all of the competing priorities that you have. Try to decide which are most important and focus on these.
- Don't forget fun. Take a break from your busy routine to plan something special for you and your child(ren). There are many low or no cost activities you can do together.
- Change some of your standards. You won't have time to do everything perfectly. Give yourself permission to cut corners and be less than perfect.
- Make time for yourself. Being healthy and taking care of your own needs will help you to be a better parent. Try to find some time to relax and do something enjoyable for yourself. This can be as simple as taking 15 minutes to look at a magazine when your child is in bed.
- Try to let go of guilt. It is common for single parents to feel guilty about their divided responsibilities and the amount of time they can spend with their children. Guilt can be paralyzing. Try to remember that your college studies will help to provide a better life for all of you in the future.