Tag Archives: responsibilities

No Time To Be Sick

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Sick days. Isn’t it funny that once you become a single parent that term no longer applies to you? I have always been fortunate enough to work for companies that provide a generous time off benefit, but still, I never took real vacations. I was too busy being the caretaker to vacation. As a single parent I knew that any paid time I had needed to be hoarded in case Hailey got sick. First, you can’t send them to day care when they’re sick and you don’t want to leave them at home alone when they are sick either. So … Continue reading →

Who Takes Care of Business?

Being a follower or a leader has very little to do with being male or female or with age. Some people are just born controllers while others are born watchers. In many cases younger siblings will more easily handle issues and take care of older siblings. One may have a more out going personality and feel more comfortable addressing others. The same goes for marriages. One person is usually better at taking care of business and handling problems and issues. The other person may have input and opinions, but there is typically one person that has more initiative and brass. … Continue reading →

Kids Need REAL Chores, Not Busy Work

We talk here in the Parents Blog periodically about how important it is for kids to participate in family responsibilities in order to build esteem and character, but it is important that kids have REAL responsibilities and do valuable work and chores, not be given busy work just to keep them occupied. The other day I was out and about and I noticed a parent give a five-year-old a few books to carry, saying: “What a big helper you are!” The child looked at the parent with a combination of confusion and boredom. It was not a terribly challenging “chore” … Continue reading →

Do You Have Healthy Boundaries for Your Parenting Territory?

I think that it is easy for single parents to start to believe that they are in charge of every aspect of their children’s lives. Since there is only one of us and we have to maintain control and responsibility over all aspects of family life, I think we can get the impression that our “territory” is all-inclusive and that we have say, control, and responsibility for more that we actually do. Maybe you know of partnered parents who can say something like: “The clothes shopping is my department and driving the kids to sports is my spouse’s.” As single … Continue reading →

Home Repair: Balancing Spouse Responsibility

Is it really Friday already? It feels like this has been the longest and the shortest week on record. It’s been crazy busy here with my husband and I both working diligently on a variety of different projects, the not the least of which is getting our fence repaired. We’ve been trying to balance what the two of us have both done to get estimates, file the insurance claim and hire a contractor to do the work. Wind Storms & Storm Damage A few weeks back, just two days before I had my surgery, we had a major windstorm here … Continue reading →