Is It Harder for Single Parents?

Everyday complications for single parents

It's hard enough as a single parent in daily life, but instead of understanding and support, you mostly just get prejudice. When looking for an apartment, for example, you're confronted with whether you can even pay the rent on time, or whether you might be too loud a tenant, alone in the apartment with one or more kids. Job hunting is of course made as hard as possible too, since a single parent with a child is supposedly so inflexible and unreliable. You want to feel independent, but single parents often have no choice but to hope for help from those around them, because not everything can fit into the available time. The job, the household, and still finding time for your child/children. Often time for yourself falls by the wayside for a long time.

Finding a partner is hard for single parents

Many eventually change their self-image, and that makes things harder and harder, not only for a future partner, but above all for yourself. You're so used to being on your own and handling everything alone that for many it's almost unimaginable to let someone get that close again, to even be able to rely on someone else, perhaps to entrust him/her with your own child. Suddenly someone is supposed to have a say? Suddenly you're supposed to make time for that, too? Can you even make time for it anymore? What if the child/children get used to him/her and then it doesn't work out? And yet of course everyone wants a person they can rely on, who is interested in them and cares, who can be a help and ease the stress a little. Still, there are many questions you can't find answers to if you don't try. No matter how many doubts you have beforehand, staying alone forever out of fear of change or disappointment is not a solution.

Never forget yourself It's extremely important for single parents not to put themselves last, which unfortunately is often the case. With all the stress single parents have, you must not forget or neglect yourself. The circumstances should lead to a positive conclusion; you should draw strength and self-confidence from the hurdles you've overcome. It's important to stay optimistic and believe in yourself. You should take time for yourself to reflect, because if you're not satisfied with yourself, you won't be able to accept being loved or imagine trusting someone again. Don't forget how much willpower it takes to be a single parent. And you should be much prouder of that than of anything else.