I'm Single Parent - How Can I Succeed?
FROM the time of his birth, the newborn needs tender care, including gentle strokes and skin-to-skin contact. Some physicians believe that the first 12 hours after birth are crucial. They say that what mother and child require and want most right after the delivery is “not sleep or food, but to stroke and snuggle and to look at and listen to each other.”Instinctively, parents reach out, cuddle, stroke, and snuggle their baby. The baby, in turn, becomes securely attached to his parents and responds to their attention. The power of this bond is so strong that parents will make sacrifices…
Keep in mind that your situation can be changed, that it is not a permanent situation but a common experience shared by others. Do not be unreasonably demanding of yourself. Feel content about yourself in general. Develop good habits in eating and exercise, and get adequate sleep. Use the time you spend alone doing creative things and learning new skills. Be careful not to judge people you meet on the basis of your past experiences. Value your friends and their unique qualities. Work toward developing a good circle of friends. Ask for ideas from older, experienced ones. Do something for…
Says sociologist Ronald L. Pitzer: “Many young people experience high levels of stress.” They must deal with the physical and emotional changes of puberty. There are also the pressures of school. According to the book Childstress! the typical school day “is fraught with problems and pressures creating stress—in academics, sports, in peer relationships and in interchanges with teachers.” In some areas the threat of school violence adds to feelings of anxiety—not to mention the fears many youths now have of terrorist attacks and other disasters. “If parents are constantly talking about how scary the world is right now,” writes one…
Single-Parent Families on the Rise “Many nights I would pray to God in tears and say to him: ‘I don’t know what to do tomorrow.’”—GLORIA, A SINGLE MOTHER SINGLE-PARENT families have become a permanent and noticeable feature in many societies today. As the traditional structure of husband, wife, and children gives way to other forms of family life, demographers and sociologists in many parts of the world are asking why. Sociology professors Simon Duncan and Rosalind Edwards note that “long-term changes are taking place in family patterns and gender relations.” Why? Some observers state that this is the result of…
A budget is a plan that allows you to set spending goals and track your actual cash flow to make sure you're staying within the boundaries you've set for yourself. Usually, it's a month-to-month projection of the amounts you allocate to each of your expenses based on the income you have. When you make a purchase or pay a bill, write it down and subtract it from the total you planned for that expense. For example, if you budget $500 a month for food, you'd keep track of everything you spent at the grocery store, any restaurant meals,…
If you are a divorced mother, maintaining closeness may be your toughest challenge. All too often, you may be branded with what some societies consider a double stigma: divorce and poverty. Thrust unprepared into the job market, and struggling to compensate for unreliable or insufficient support payments from an ex-spouse, you may feel that you have little time left for your children. The answer: determination and a schedule. Buy out whatever small chunks of time you can, and plan with your child what you will do together during that time. Even a little daily time with your undivided attention is…