Single Parenting Guide

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I know the struggles of being a single parent. It is tough, if you do not have help. I can say that it is not that tough if one is strong mentally, but it can wear one down emotionally. One thing that I have learned is that single parenting does not really affect the single parent, but it does affect the child. A single parent labor is doubled when another parent is not involved in the child’s life. I can personally testify for my mother and myself. I first observed my mother raise my brothers, sister and I without any help from my father nor family. I watched how she hustled and sacrificed to make us happy. I watched how she worked extra hours to keep us well fed and clothed. I watch her come home from days of work and sleep and not eat …show more content…

As a child, teenager and adult, I was proud of her strength of raising four kids on her own. Her strength inspired me through my divorce. I became a single parent at the age of 23. I knew the quest was not going to be easy, but I remember the acts and values of my mother, ambitious, faith and belief. My mother was my inspiration and motivation to single parenting. I am writing this guide because I believe that this will assist to single fathers with raising their children.

The Guide This plan is a guide for single fathers the range about the age of 21 to 35 years of age. The goal of this guide is to assist fathers with care, love, and development of a preschooler through what is called the parenting process (Heath H. , Plan How to Get Where You Want to Go in Nurturing Your Childrenı , 2010). One thing fathers must take in consideration is the needs of humans. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the …show more content…

Since a preschooler is developing, they need encouragement. They need their confidence boosted. They need to feel loved by a parent. Here is where a father plays the role as cheerleader which is an emotional coach. First, a father must understand the developmental level, temperament pattern, needs and situation of their preschooler self-esteem needs. He must be aware of their child emotions (Gottman, 1997). He should ask himself questions such as does my child express their feelings? Are they happy or sad? Do they like others? Do they express feelings of joy or hate? Are they jealous of others? How do they feel in the morning? How do they feel at night? How do they feel after a meal? How do they feel after being corrected? How do they feel if they have to share something? Does my child like hugs and kisses on the forehead? What are my child esteem/emotional languages? Is it through words or rewards? What are the fathers esteem needs, for they can be the same as the child’s? A father can discover their needs through conversation by labeling each feeling (Gottman, 1997). Other ways, a father can discover their need is through pretend play (Gottman, 1997). Furthermore, a father can monitor their child through observation and take notes on the child activities at school and at home

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