6min read
Advice on becoming a single parent
Becoming a single parent can be a very overwhelming and stressful time in your life as you face having to raise your children on your own without the support from your partner. Most of us don’t plan to bring up children on our own but unfortunately circumstances can change in family life and the inevitable can happen.
On this page
The emotional impact
As well as trying to keep up with day-to-day family routine and chores, you are also coming to terms with a recent family breakdown and a loss of a partner. It is often the case that your feelings and emotional wellbeing ends up at the bottom of your list of priorities. We often hear from parents who feel guilty if they do allow themselves some time out. However, time out is a necessary part of surviving and coping with parenting alone. It may just be a nice relaxing bath once the children have gone to bed or perhaps the odd evening out with friends. Whatever your time out is, it is essential for a happier family life. Read our advice on looking after yourself for further tips on prioritising self-care.
At times, it can be hard managing the practical things in life, such as balancing work and home, different school runs, cooking and chores, etc. Trying to split yourself in two is a common thought and possibly a wish amongst many parents in this situation. You can only do what you can do and pushing yourself too hard can result in an emotional burn out.
Support from friends and family
Some single parents have support from family and friends which is invaluable and very much needed to make life that little bit easier. However, we do hear from many parents who are bringing up children alone, without any family or friends support network. If this is the case, there are organisations such as Gingerbread which may be able to help you further and give you much needed support, please take a look at our useful links section for more organisations that can help.
Financial support
As a single parent you have probably found you are trying to live on less money. Financial worries on top of everything else you’re coping with can put a strain on your emotional wellbeing. Make sure that you find out what you are entitled to as a single parent such as benefits, tax credits and child maintenance. You can get advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau, or Turn2Us has a helpful benefits calculator that can help.
Our top tips on parenting alone
- Take help from relatives and friends willing to lend a hand for time out, babysitting, school runs
- Encourage older children/teens to help out around the house with chores on a regular basis
- Try to organise and plan as much as you can in advance for things like school bags, uniforms
- It may help to empower yourself by learning new skills that could assist you in your day to day life
- Get advice on your finances and what you are entitled to
Further resources
If you would like further support and advice, call our helpline on 0808 800 2222 or email us at askus@familylives.org.uk. You can talk to us online via our live chat service or message us via WhatsApp on 07441 444125 to connect with experienced professional family support workers and highly-trained volunteers. You may find it helps to find out how other parents and carers have coped with this on our online forums. We also have a range of free self-guided online parenting courses that can help through the ages and stages of parenting.
Our online parenting information is written by experienced parenting professionals. Find out more about our content authors, how it is produced, reviewed and edited.