Life As A Single Dad – 15 Tips To A Successful Solo Fatherhood
Are you a single dad?
Raising kids all by yourself?
Want to raise them in the best possible way, right?
Being a single mother is a huge challenge indeed. But with humility and respect for womanhood, it can be said that being single and raising kids for a single father is equally challenging. But at the same time, it creates an opportunity before you to explore your full potential to be the best dad on earth.
That God gave you this opportunity, and you need to make the most of it. But there is always room for improvement as no one is perfect. The article discusses some of the tips to be successful in solo fatherhood.
Fatherhood is nothing short of a journey of a lifetime. It, like a meandering river, takes granules of different sizes. Similarly, a single father gathers experience through different folds and entanglements of life as he raises himself as a father. If you are a father, you not only raise your child but also raise your fatherhood from innocence to experience. The article discusses different ways through which you could be a single dad.
Top Tips To Be Successful As A Solo Father
Here are some of the great ways to be a single father. Let us discuss them here in this section so that you get valuable insights into being one such. So let’s begin the discussion here.
1. Work With Your Employer To Create
Are you an employee in an office? That’s really great, to say the least. However, understand that you need flexibility in your timing for your kids. Balance or atleast try to balance the routine in such a manner so that you can give maximum time to your kids.
For example, if you prepare your kids for school, you have extra time for them, so you could adjust the schedule according to this. Compensate with extra time after the schedule closes.
2. Don’t Criticize Your Ex
You have parted from your Ex. This will automatically raise questions in your neighborhood, like, can a single man adopt a child? You have many more like this, but it is you who will have to take the challenge and authority to deconstruct the idea. You know that society does not embrace single dads.
So never ever try to criticize your ex for leaving you with responsibility. At least don’t do it in the presence of your child. This is no good practice. Your child will neither develop a positive image of their mother and also of you.
You don’t need to hide anything from them. But at the same time, you have to understand you must not try to malign her image before them. This kind of practice only sows the seeds of hatred.
3. Create A Village Of Reliability
When raising the kids, you must ensure that you create a village of reliability. Stay guarded by people who are sound in nature and will provide a support system to you. You might not be going through the best of times and feel depleted and cast down.
During this time, don’t panic. Your friends and followers, who are your well-wishers, will drag you out of the unfavorable condition. The hallmark of a clear single dad is resilience. Read some single-dad quotes to get back to normalcy. The presence of a village of reliability is best suited to meet this requirement.
4. Uplift Your Kids With Community
When you are single-handedly raising your kids, try to integrate them with a community of positive people. It can be your church members, close friends, neighbors, and well-wishers.
You need to uplift your kids with the community continuously so that they get good advice from different corners and they easily get themselves out from the negative effects or negative ambiance that might create in the absence of their mother. So single dads will have to look continuously at this aspect, that’s for sure.
5. Create Work-Life Balance
To be a great father, you will have to strike a harmonious balance between work and kids. You will have to plan your day so that you give your child the maximum time possible. Remember that the present world is quite hectic, and you simply can not jostle with your busy schedule.
For your children, you may have to slash your prospect of development. Cut that time and give it to your child. You have a responsibility that you can not shed, and therefore you need to work continuously on creating a good work-life balance. Adhering to a healthy work-life balance definitely increases time for your kids.
6. Learn How To Strengthen Dad-Daughter Relationship
If you are a dad and have a daughter, the dynamics of the relationship tend to change when the girl grows up. When the girl grows up, she certainly has her own opinion. That time if you try to dictate yours as you have been doing in her childhood, things might turn out to be bad…really bad for sure.
Therefore you must learn to strengthen your relationship with your daughter. Prioritize her needs and give her time. Then, you definitely can strengthen the relationship between you and your daughter.
You, being a single dad, will definitely have your own challenges, but at the same time, you have the opportunity to become a great father to your queen. Therefore if you are a single dad seeking to raise your girl child, follow what we said.
7. Create A Balance Between Fun And Discipline
A single dad seeking to raise the child successfully must create a balance between fun and discipline. You can neither be too hot-headed nor too lenient with your kids. If you turn out to be hot-headed, you will end up creating a rift between you and your kids.
This is not at all good on your end. But, at the same time, you can not really be lenient with them. This will make them led astray. So it’s up to you how you manage your relationship with your kids. A perfect balance between fun and discipline will make you an idle single dad.
8. Give Them Female Role models
One of the most significant things that you need to instill in them is respecting womanhood. Respecting womanhood is definitely one of the greatest virtues and teachings.
Not only preach it but practice it also. So expose your kids to other women in your circles like the kids’ aunt, grandmother, teachers (female), and others. This helps kids cover up a bit of their mother’s presence. Also, keeping your children surrounded by female role models helps them have a good image of women in general.
They need it primarily because they are not getting the affection and love of their mother. So always teach them to respect women. Remember, this is the hallmark of a good single dad.
9. Future Planning
That you are taking complete responsibility for the child’s upbringing, and you need to strengthen your future planning. Education and learning is the most important thing for your children. You have managed the entire cost. Not only this, you have to take full responsibility for their upbringing.
So you must continuously procure all the financial needs to serve their specific requirements. This is your prime responsibility. Apart from teachers, you must also try to plan all the future for your kids- all by yourself.
Not only this, you will also have to take sole responsibility for the division of property. So you need a good amount of homework to do.
10. Be Open And Honest With Your Children
The success of your relationship with your children depends on quite a lot on honesty. Dishonesty has no space in a relationship. Therefore you must act, to be honest with your children. This will establish a strong bonding between both you and them.
When the child is in their senses, naturally, the inquisitive sense works continuously on her/him. Whatever question he/ she asks you, you must try to give the most honest possible answer. You don’t really need to hide anything from them.
If they discover you are trying to hide something, naturally, the bridge of the relationship between you (single dad) and your child gets affected.
11. Focus On Family Activity
A single dad must focus quite a lot on family activities. Family activities are great ways to bring up your kids.
Teach your kids simple household chores. But at the same time, give them responsibilities, the smaller ones. These really help them form a better idea and understanding of household responsibility. This kind of activity also reduces a bit of your burden.
Though you are not taking any help, they can help you and be your asset in difficult times.
12. Make Time For Yourself
Remember, being a single father; you will have to take all the responsibility for your kids. At one end lies your kids, and at the other end lies your professional life.
Striking a harmonious balance between both of them is never easy. You might fall terribly ill, which is why you need to keep yourself safe and secure continuously. The best way to do it is to keep time for yourself. Use the weekends to the fullest. Take them to some nearby place and give them the desired time that they need after a week of a fatiguing regimen.
This acts to strengthen the relationship between you and your kids. Try to have more time and space between your kid and you and build a strong sense of oneness.
13. Accept That You, Too, Can Make A Mistake.
There is nothing wrong and wrong in a relationship. We are all human beings, and we all commit mistakes. However, flexibility is something on which your relationship depends a lot.
For example, you rebuked them hard for mistakes of your own. If they are not at fault, they will naturally feel utterly depressed. This will unnecessarily accumulate an iceberg of silence between both of you. If you, for a moment, realize that the fault is from your side, it’s better to accept your mistake.
Remember, every human being makes mistakes, and there is no shame in admitting them. Therefore it’s always better to say sorry (to them). Accepting mistakes makes you a great papa and a great human being.
14. Make New Traditions
The relationship between husband and wife follows a completely different tradition. But when it comes to single fathers, there will be no scope for them.
For example, you are cooking your own meal, bringing your own groceries, teaching your kids valuable lessons on ethics- you are doing it all by yourself. Self-dependent and cooperation enter your new book of traditions. Adhere to new traditions and accept changes in life wherever necessary.
So try to understand the value of new traditions, and you will surely win to be a successful single dad.
15. Seek Help When It Is Really Required
Sometimes, it might happen that things do not work according to your favor. You will be drenched and downfallen. That time you must seek help from your dear and near ones when it is really required. You are a human being, and you, too, can feel crestfallen completely.
Therefore you need to try and understand the fact that human beings have their limitations. That time, don’t hesitate to take help from others. Sometimes, following new norms might make you stubborn, and consider taking Help as stooping down.
You need to come forward and take help from your friends and relatives during exigency. Your own safety must be on top priority.
Wrapping It Up
The crux of this discussion is that single parents find it extremely difficult to manage their kids. Bringing up kids in the absence of an ex brings in a lot of problems for an individual.
But the individual gives their all to change tradition. Being a single father, you will have to take all the responsibility on your own. Try to teach your kids all things good and positive, not just study.
Teach them to respect all, especially women. Also, be honest, disciplined, and flexible with your kids. This will help you become the world’s best Papa.
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