Single parents know that it is very hard to keep a family running.
All of the responsibilities that are usually shared by two people are heaped onto the shoulders of the one.
This is very stressful and single parents need to learn how to manage their stress, find help when they need it, organize their schedules and take care of their kids as well as find a few minutes to take care of themselves.
If you are facing single parenthood, here are the skills that you must develop: Budgeting: You will need to figure out a budget that keeps your home running.
Make sure that you learn how to keep accurate financial records and that you learn how to do more with less.
You only have one income to work with now, so many of those "extras" will have to wait.
Organization: One of the best tools to stay organized is a family calendar that the kids can write their own schedules on.
This will help you coordinate your schedule with theirs to make sure that homework is done on time, recitals are attended and that nobody misses a lesson, practice or social event.
Traditions: As a two parent family, you had certain traditions.
It is important to acknowledge the importance of those traditions as well as develop new ones for your kids-especially during holidays and on birthdays.
Keeping the old traditions while building new ones will help your kids feel secure.
Teamwork: Single parent households rely more on "child labor" to keep the house running smoothly.
Assigning chores to each child is something that will need to be done and it is important that your kids know that you will have chores as well-that you are all a team.
It's a good idea to reward jobs well done and those that kids work together to accomplish.
Stay Positive: It is very important that you stay positive.
Keeping up a positive attitude will help your kids adjust to their new surroundings.
Boundaries: Learn to establish boundaries.
While you want your kids to feel like they are important and that they have a say in the running of the home, it needs to be clear that you are still the parent and that the buck stops with you.
This means setting firm rules and sticking to them.
Letting them help with the smaller decisions will teach them about problem solving and scheduling, and the rules remind them that they still have a parent they can rely on.
This is especially important when it comes to discipline.
It is not a good idea to let an older child discipline a younger one.
Confidence: Learn to be confident.
By showing your kids that you are a confident parent they will trust you to be an informed and reliable parent.
This will help you to create a stable environment for them.