Tag Archives: decision making

Talking With Others is a Valuable Decision Making Tool

Sometimes, just when you think that you have a major decision all figured out, something happens that causes you to change course. In my case, I am in the process of making a major decision about one of my home – based businesses. I had thought that I had figured out which way to go with it, but once I started thinking about how proceeding in that direction would affect the total picture of my life and my family’s life, I realized that my initial thought about which way to decide might not be the best choice once all things … Continue reading →

Learn How to Make Decisions, and You Can Save Money for Life

I used to have a terrible time making decisions in life. It all came to head one week when I had three different job offers and no clue which one to take. I resorted to putting the names of the companies in a hat, flipping a coin, calling every good friend I knew for advice and more. The deadline to make a decision was fast approaching. How did I solve it? A blown-out-tire forced me to choose the job that was the closest and easiest to place to make the commute. Pathetic, no? I vowed after that to work on … Continue reading →

Book Review: Adopting After Infertility

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Adopting After Infertility differs from other adoption books in that it goes more deeply into the losses of infertility, attitudes toward family, and decision making, as well as parenting adopted children if that is the option chosen. The book is divided into three sections. Part One deals with the losses experienced by persons who are infertile. There are tips on self-care, dealing with the stresses of infertility, and handling family events and relatives’ baby showers. Rather than specific medical information on options, this book offers ways to consider the emotional impact of the various options such as hormone treatment, in … Continue reading →

It is Okay to Take Time Making Big Decisions

When I was younger, I used to be much more spontaneous and much more of a “risk-taker” than I am now. Or, perhaps, I am still a pretty big risk-taker, I just do a bit more research and take more calculated risks than I did in my youth and young adulthood. As a single parent, it is perfectly fine to take time making big decisions. In fact, all that research and consideration can help us learn to be better decision-makers overall. For example, I spent almost two years learning about art, reading books, going to galleries and thinking about what … Continue reading →

Gather What You Need to Make Your Own Decisions

I often write here in the Single Parents blog about how we naturally handle a lot of daily life details on our own, not to mention making some pretty major life decisions solo. This doesn’t always come easily for everyone and for many new single parents, it can be one of the toughest personal development leaps to make. I thought we might talk about ways to prepare yourself and build up your confidence for making decisions on your own. Many moons ago, when I was coupled/married, my decision-making process usually involved talking things over with my spouse. We would hash … Continue reading →

Mama Knows Best?

As parents, especially parents of young kids, we have a tendency to think that we know what’s best for our kids. If we are cold, we figure they have to be cold also and we dress them accordingly. The reverse is true. If we’re hot they can’t possibly be cold. I have this one nagging habit that I know Tyler probably hates. Sometimes, when we go out to eat I will veto his food choices because I feel confident that he won’t eat it. Yesterday for instance, it was his birthday and he and his father and I went out … Continue reading →

Ask Yourself…How Does This Help My Business?

I admit that it can sometimes be easy to fall into a place where I’m not sure WHY I’m doing what I’m doing. I can lose sight of my motivation and goals in my business and get caught up in the daily grind—so much so that I’m spinning my wheels and not actually having a positive impact on my business. One way to get back on track is to start asking “how does this activity help my business? This suggestion is really another way of “keeping an eye on the bottom line”—we can get caught up in trying new ideas, … Continue reading →

Making Decisions Under Stress?

I wrote earlier in the month about how exhaustion can impair our ability to make good, clear decisions. As single parents who are often doing and managing more than the average person, we can have a tendency to let ourselves get run down and so tired, we have trouble thinking clearly and meeting the needs of our families. BUT, we can also be susceptible to a great deal of stress and making decisions under stress can be disastrous. The problem is, however, we often cannot put off making decisions and solving big issues, just because we are stressed out or … Continue reading →

Selective Silence: Sometimes Less Works Best

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Sometimes, silence truly is golden. When you’re dealing with an argumentative child, many times it’s best to simply bite your tongue and not say a word. I call it “selective silence”. Sort of like, “I’m not deaf, I’m just ignoring you.” I had to use this technique this morning with Tyler. The issue was over what snacks he wanted to take to school for snack time. First, he asked for money to buy snacks but I reminded him that he had not earned snack money vis-à-vis the tantrum thrown last night at bedtime. I gave him his snack box and … Continue reading →

Cutting The Apron Strings

Hello, My name is Myra and I have come to the realization that I am a control freak. Not all the time, mind you, but definitely when it comes to Tyler. Let me explain. Last Saturday we took a trip to the mall so that Tyler could spend his report card money. I also needed to get him a pair of new shoes for school and a pair of every day shoes and two new pairs of uniform pants. I had decided that I would let him spend his money on whatever he wanted to and he could also pick … Continue reading →