Weekend Reflections- Solo Parenting
This week I read a post over at one of the blogs which I have subscribed to about her worries about dealing with solo parenting of a newborn and a toddler. She was a new 2nd time mom and her husband would be traveling that month leaving her alone to handle the kids.
I find myself in same situation very often as R travels very often due to his job. Most of the time he is away for two weeks and sometimes even three weeks at a stretch. It can be increasingly exhausting at times handling the kids, work and household all on you own.
Many a times it is quite difficult to get fathers more involved in handling the kids due to their professions or work schedule. Hiring or outsourcing childcare may not be in the best interest of the child and something which I would certainly not consider.
So far based on my personal experience it takes time and practice to achieve a balance in catering for the needs of self, kids and home. It is a tricky balance which needs constant working on to achieve equilibrium. Most of the time the scale is tipping either right or left. In my case more in favour of the kids then of personal needs.
The constant changes in needs as the kids mature and the ever changing environment is a challenge. One has to be ever innovative and creative in developing quick-fix and long term solutions to problems which are suddenly thrown one’s way.
Even reading through the various books on parenting and watching the Supernanny show on television it doesn’t really prepare one for the differentiated challenges which each family faces bring up kids.
I’m not an absolute sticker for routine and do allow for a certain degree of flexibility in the activities which the kids carry out on a daily basis. However there are certain chores and items which I am still working on with each kid to ensure that they complete it within the given time frame. Ie: Finishing dinner and getting to bed.
I do hope that I will be able to find a equilibrium when R3 arrives in September.
How do you address solo parenting?
