A Difficult Life for Single Mothers With a Career

We hear how difficult it can be to be a single mother and hold a career. A few fathers may have this problem so it applies equally to all those single fathers out there as well. Few of us know really how many hurdles these woman (single parents) have to go through in order to advance in their careers. Hurdles often include skills, wages and competing interests.

The Department of Labor states that about 69% of all single mothers are working. This number shows some indication of decline as the economy sours. Since such woman have competing interests, have more problems, often less skills, and must balance between work & family they are typically one of the first groups to lose their jobs. Even while working they have some of the lowest income levels. The problems these woman face can be summarized as follows:

Skills

Many of the working mothers have only sporadic prior experience. Since they have been busy raising children many of these mothers have not had the opportunity to attend trade schools or colleges. Furthermore, a career is developed over time and in many cases these woman have moved in and out of the workforce thereby they are unable to maintain a career.

Competing Interests

Businesses love when employees are committed to the company's success. The problem is that mothers sometimes come in late, must leave early and take additional days off to either recover themselves or take care of a sick child. If the babysitter calls off they are required to stay at home to watch their children. The more resources they have in terms of friends and family members the more likely they will be able to maintain a successful career.

Low Wages

Women are generally paid slightly less than men. When we add the lack of education and the sporadic work experience many woman are qualified only for entry level positions with subsistence pay. These low wages must be divided up for housing, food, clothing, children's medical needs, transportation, etc. With a low budget many woman are not able to provide for their children's future, may have chronic car problems because they can't afford maintenance, and may not be able to purchase all the luxuries of others. These low wages causes the next generation to repeat the problems of their mothers.

The next time a single mother makes a mistake please consider the turmoil these woman (and men) have to go through in order to survive. Each and everyday is a struggle to keep all the ends tied together and a problem in one area may cause the whole tightly knit ball to unwind. Companies that offer flexible schedules, promotion from within, job training, medical benefits and child care allotments do these women a great service.

Murad Ali

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Single parenting tips: good and bad ideas for moving responsibilities to older siblings

Being a parent with a busy schedule isn’t easy, especially if that parent is raising the kids alone. It’s hard to balance taking care of kids, having a career, maintaining finances, and everything else that is necessary to sustain a household. Family members have to contribute their time and effort in order to keep the household running smoothly. When families work together, life is easier for everyone. Mom or dad certainly can’t do it alone.

The first step to attaining a smooth-running single parent household is the assignment of duties to family members. Even the youngest children can perform simple duties to help out. Preschoolers can be taught to pick up their toys, throw away trash, and empty wastepaper baskets. If children are expected to do these things as soon as they are old enough, they will have an understanding of the importance of cooperation. They will also be more likely to help out without being asked as they grow and mature.

Younger school-age children are capable of setting the table, feeding pets, drying dishes, emptying the dishwasher, dusting, and picking up after themselves. They should be given a list of weekly chores in which they are expected to complete within a specific timeframe.

Older children can help entertain younger siblings, wash dishes, pull weeds, rake leaves, sweep, vacuum, and help with laundry. They should also be expected to pick up after themselves and maintain a clean room. As soon as they are old enough to do these chores, they should be expected to do them on a regular basis.

Teenage children are capable of all of the aforementioned duties as well as meal preparation, bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning, floor washing, and lawn mowing. Although this sounds like a lot of work, these duties can be shared with siblings of similar age as well as with the parent.

As children become older and more capable, household chores can be passed on. Duties that were once required of older children should be handed down at the appropriate time. Have the older children instruct their younger siblings in the right way to accomplish these tasks. They are wonderful teachers and role models for younger brothers and sisters.

This plan sounds simple, but it’s not always easy to get family members to do what is expected of them. Make it clear that certain privileges will be taken away unless the required tasks are completed. Favorite toys and activities can be used as an incentive as well. Put what is expected of them in writing, and have them mark off the duties as they have been completed.

Not all parents believe in or are financially able to hand out weekly allowances. Children should contribute to the family without expecting monetary compensation, but they should be given extra time and attention for a job well done. One idea is to hand out weekly tokens or coupons that can be exchanged for time spent at a local park or turned in for special one-on-one time spent with a parent. This time could be spent playing a favorite board game, tossing a ball around, taking a walk, or going out for a special treat. Quality time is the most valuable incentive of all.

Making children accountable for daily and weekly chores will give them a sense of responsibility that will help mold them into dependable adults. It will give them a sense of worth and a feeling of pride when they are rewarded with the greatest payment of all – your thanks, praise, and special attention.

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Government Grants for Single Mothers

The free government grants for single mothers are provided by the United States Departments of Public Welfare. These grants are basically provided for benefit of the single mothers and their children. You may also read more on single parenting and child care.

What is a Government Grant?

The government grants that are provided by government departments, agencies and organizations as a part of public welfare policies of the government. In the recent past enactments and policies such as the President's 2002 Fiscal Year Management Agenda and Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, have made a considerable progress in government grants for single mothers. There are several different ways or methods with which these policies can be implemented. For example the Women, Infant and Children Program, which is also known as WIC, is a program with the help of which single mothers and their children, are provided appropriate nutrition and medical facilities. Under this program, a special emphasis is laid on people living under the Federal Poverty Line.

Government Grants for Single Mothers

There are several different government grants for single mothers that are granted by the United States government. The following are some of the prominent ones.

The housing grants for single mothers, are provided by the way of Public Housing Agencies (PHA). These housing grants for women, are provided by granting mothers a PHA subsidiary. This subsidiary is paid to the landlord and the single mom has to pay only the remaining difference. Today almost 1.2 million PHA subsidiaries, have been used to help single mothers, through out United States. Similar US government grants for single mothers are provided under programs such as the Federal Government's Housing Choice Voucher Program and US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

There are also many different financial aids for single mothers, that are provided by the way of scholarships, in case if the mother wishes to attend college, but in unable to do so due to financial reasons. Provisions, such as the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and Academic Competitiveness Grant are deployed by the government in order to provide financial aid to single moms. In some cases student loans are also provided to single mothers, by the way of Federal Perkins Loans. Read more on single mother grants for college.

There have also been cases where the local governments have come up with small business grants for women, that help the single parents to set up enterprise of their own. Women Business Centers and Office of Women Business Ownership are excellent avenues, for single mothers to obtain financial aid.

There are several different queries such as 'how to get government grants for single mothers?' or 'how to apply government grants for single mothers?', that are often left unheeded.

The Father of my Parish often says, that single moms are Saints. Well I do feel the same, and it becomes the moral duty of every human being to give them the faith that we are with them. The government grants for single mothers is probably the best way to help all the single moms.

Good Luck and God Bless You!

By Scholasticus K

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Coping With Being a Single Working Mother

Being a single mother and working fulltime is a difficult task facing many women today. It is even more challenging when that mother is sending herself back to school.

Children’s Expectations of Their Parents

Children expect their parents to be around for them in every situation; when they wake up in the mornings, to get them ready for school and be home when they get back. They also expect their parents to be at special events such as sporting activities at school, school fairs, plays, and recitals.

For a single working mother, these expectations of their children can be challenging. Earning enough money to take care of the family is paramount and sacrifices have to be made to fulfill these responsibilities. When the father is not around to help share some of the responsibilities such as alternate in spending quality time with the children, attending their special events and supporting the household financially, then the mother is expected to carry out these roles alone.

This might prove impossible for her at times and guilt can set in. The single mother might feel that she is not being a good parent and that she has let down her child. Here are a few suggestions to try and cope in this difficult role:

Single Mum Takes Day off From Work

If the single mother has a regular 9 – 5 job that sees her off on the weekends, she should make it her priority to spend some quality time with her children. This can be done by doing household chores together. When going to buy groceries, make a trip out of it if possible; take the children along to help with the shopping. Have a movie night and pop some microwave popcorn or some other snacks of the children’s choice and sit with them, watching a movie of their choice.

Dealing With Kids’ Special Events

Make use of vacation and casual leave from work when the child has a special event to attend and try to attend as many as possible. The ones that the parent cannot attend, she should ask a close family member or friend to be present to give moral support to the child.

The weekends can also be used to take the children to places such as museums, the zoo, theme parks, the movies, the beach or any other place of their interest. Also, it is good to include the children in vacation trips locally or abroad where possible.

Since children expect their parents to be around and it is not always possible, it is important for the single mother to make use of her days off from work including vacation leave. As children grow older, they will understand the situation a little more.

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