Balancing Work and Family As a Single Parent

It is important to balance work and family as a parent, but especially if you are a single parent. Your children have only you so time spent with them is very important. While not easy, it can be done even by a single parent when money is almost always on the short side.

The following are some of the ways balancing work and family can be done:

- try and reduce the time spent traveling to work or get a daycare closer to your job. This will cut down on the time you are away from home;
- cut back on your work hours and find other ways of making money by working out of your home, i.e.: babysitting other children, typing up resumes, typing college student's essays, giving art lessons or using whatever other talents you may have. When I was single I had an in-my-home ceramic class three evenings a week and a daycare, at different times;
- to free up time that can be spent with your family, enlist their help with household tasks and then play a game with them, read them a story, take a walk in the park or watch a video together;
- prioritize your time so that any free time can be spent with your family;
- choose what is important in your life. What is it you really need? Do you need that extra dress or is time spent with your children more important?
- have increased savings by reducing what you use so there is no waste, i.e.: don't cook more than you eat at a meal especially if no one will eat leftovers;
- reuse, i.e.: gift paper, bows and ribbon, reuse something old for another purpose;
- recycle by buying second-hand, passing down or trading children's clothes with friends and neighbors;
- look for bargains – get the best deal you can;
- buy only what you need. Know the difference between need and desire.

Children will feel loved and nurtured if you are involved in their lives as much as possible. Include 'I love you' notes in their lunches. They will know you are thinking about them and will feel closer to you as a result. When you are home, turn off the television and talk to your children while you are preparing the meals, eating, getting ready for bed and while you are driving to daycare or school. At bedtime make sure to have enough time for a story and a cuddle. Sometimes good quality time will replace, to a certain extent, quantity time.

It is important to make good choices in order to balance work and family. Work together with your children for solutions to make it work. The fact that you are showing them you want to spend more time with them will be very important to them. Have a routine, organize and keep things simple.

It is important also to remember that you must stay healthy for your family because again, you are the only one. You can do this by getting sufficient sleep, having a proper diet, having some relaxing and de-stress time by exercising, jogging or doing yoga and meditating. It's also important to keep in contact with friends and other family members so that you have a supportive network.