Most divorcing parents tend to develop a co-parenting plan for their children. However, for those who are single-parenting post-divorce, they’ll have to manage these responsibilities on their own. While this kind of parenting can be more difficult, you can still properly care for your child and avoid some of the common divorced parent mistakes.
Single-Parenting Post-Divorce: Creating Routines
Get a support system
Single-parenting post-divorce doesn’t mean you have to solely do things by yourself. In fact, it’s during this time where you’ll see who you can really rely on. Having the right support system can make your parenting job a lot more easier.
Odds are, you have friends and family who will be more than willing to help you. For example, your parents can be great babysitters if you have to go to work or take care of other matters. Close friends can also help you with the day-to-day task of parenting when needed. This support can help reduce the single-parenting workload on your shoulders.
Create a routine
Everyone tends to have a daily routine they stick to. However, with single-parenting post-divorce, you might have to change your old routine to something new. You may even have to come up with multiple routines.
Consider the new things you’ll have to take care of and how best to work them into your day-to-day. If your child is in school, for example, then you’ll have to plan a routine for getting them ready for school in the mornings. You should also make sure to give yourself some time to relaxing your routines as well. This will help you not feel burnt out from all the new changes.
Lay the ground rules
Single-parenting post-divorce can be stressful because you’re now in charge of your child’s discipline as well as doing fun things with them. It can be difficult to find the right balance between the two. You want to make sure you raise them right and also keep them happy in the process.
It helps to lay out the ground rules and enforce them in a constructive way. Saying “be respectful” is more positive than saying “don’t be rude”. If they need extra discipline, keep it non-physical and help them see why what they did was wrong. This all helps them learn the right, positive lessons that’ll let them make good decisions in the future.
