Single Parenting - 6 Tips for the Single Parent
By NORMA FLANAGAN Sentinel Guest Writer

TIPS FOR 4-H AND YOUTH

Are you a single parent who is looking to be a better Mother or Father to your children? Single parenting can be very rough and exhausting. Unfortunately, single-parent families are becoming more and more common today then ever before, it is never easy on the parent or the child. And increasingly large groups of children live with parents who never married. Also, there are small number of children living with a widowed parent.

There are of course many positive opinions behind being a single parent. For example, you can raise your child according to your own beliefs and traditions without conflicting input from a spouse. Single parents often form closer bonds with their children. Fathers who are single parents may end up being more nurturing and the Mothers end up being more involved with their child's social activities.

And the positive sides do not just count towards the single Mothers and Fathers raising kids. The children of singleparent homes may become much more independent and mature because they have deal with more responsibility within the family unit.

But regardless of the upside that exist, the truth that being a single parent is an overwhelming experience and one that can drain your energy. Below are a few suggestions that may help you meet your own emotional needs while working hard to provide your child with the care and guidance that he needs.

1. There are an enormous amount of resources available to single parents that can help you find in caring for your child. Take advantage of them.

2. Take better care of yourself. Both for your sake and your family's sake. Eat healthy, get enough exercise, and see your doctor on a regular basis.

3. Stop feeling guilty. Many single parents feel guilty about being the only one raising their child. There are many families out there in the same situation as you are. Feeling down about it just invites more negativity.

4. Do not be afraid to set firm rules with your children and enforce them. As a single parent sometimes it is easy to be more lenient or have less strict rules with your kids. Remember, just because you are the only authoritative figure in the house does not mean that the rules should be any less strict than if there to be two parents available.

5. Do not look for problems where none exist. Feeling guilty because you are a single parent will get you nowhere and just because you are single does not mean that there must always be something wrong within your small family unit.

6. Strive to find time each and every day to be with your child. Play with him, talk with him, or read a book together. There is no better way to spend quality time with your child.