How do single parents get a break?

[Anonymous]

Agree with Sunday school, screens, babysitters as much as possible. Get an au pair or something if you can afford it.

[Anonymous]

My friend was a live-in nanny and was desperate to get out of her house on weekends. She offered to babysit for a few hours on Saturday or Sunday afternoon while my DS was taking a nap. That was my only free time. I ran errands as fast as I could.

Later, we did playdates and then sleepovers with his friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is their father, divorce doesn't stop you from reaching out to him so you two can support each other raise your kids. Be good co-parents.

Maybe she’s a widow you POS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is their father, divorce doesn't stop you from reaching out to him so you two can support each other raise your kids. Be good co-parents.

Maybe she’s a widow you POS

I was thinking that she suddenly got custody of a family member’s kids.

[Anonymous]

Love all these helpful suggestions.

Single parent and honestly there aren’t a lot of breaks until middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is their father, divorce doesn't stop you from reaching out to him so you two can support each other raise your kids. Be good co-parents.

Maybe she’s a widow you POS

I was thinking that she suddenly got custody of a family member’s kids.

Whatever the reason, it's nobody's business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol
we don’t.

This. We just kind hobble along until they can do for themselves. That’s bleak I know but unless you have a solid crew of other single parents people just don’t get it.

[Anonymous]

Play dates are good (you and another mom can take turns).

Get them in a scouting troop (good for many reasons).

When they are older, Volunteer commitments.

Perhaps weekend classes:like art or a foreign language?

Can you put them in camp during the summer and take a day off from work once every two weeks?

Hire a neighborhood teen who could entertain them for a fun few hours (take them on a picnic? Cook a meal together? Scavenger hunt? Nature hike?)

I almost never got breaks. It was hard. But I was always a single parent, so knew what I had signed up for.

(I did gave a few rare breaks when I went on business trips. I flew family members into town to stay with my child.)

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is their father, divorce doesn't stop you from reaching out to him so you two can support each other raise your kids. Be good co-parents.

People like you are so shortsighted.

I am sure there are 100 reasons why she is not pursuing this option.
Stop assuming what other’s lives are like.

[Anonymous]

Is there a yard they can play in while you do stuff from home (on the phone or internet)? Not ideal I know, but fresh air and exercise sure beat “screen time.”

Maybe they take turns choosing where you will go out to dinner if they don’t interrupt you for a certain amount of time (barring emergencies of course).

[Anonymous]

If you belong to a church (or other religious organization), I wonder if anyone would help you out…at least until you get a more permanent plan in place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a babysitter.

No, SWAP babysitting.

As an SMC, this is how I never paid for a babysitter. You could just put up a notice in your neighborhood newsletter.

[Anonymous]

I think you should plan a week long overnight camp for both kids. Elementary is a great age to try this and it will give you much needed time to yourself.

I find that I don’t feel recharged after a few hours with a babysitter since I’m always hyper aware of the time and when I have to be home.

Also, this sounds counterintuitive but I signed my kids up for a lot of sports. I can get some work done during practices and longer games give me a break. It’s easy enough to carpool with other families too. Sometimes I drop off the kids (plus a friend) and I’m free for several hours without paying a sitter. The other family brings them home.

[Anonymous]

I couldn’t afford a lot of babysitting every week (because my daycare expenses were so high). For 2 years, I was able to hire one of DC’s awesome teachers to occasionally take him home after school (and drop off some weekends) for a few hours so I could catch up on work or errands. I also hired a few mother’s helpers—young teens (lower cost) to play with DC while I did heavy housework or paperwork.

What I really needed was a reliable weekend daycare center to drop off and leave DC for a few hours. Never found it but I’ve heard some in home daycare providers will offer this weekend service for regular clients.

I also reluctantly relied on TV, mainly Elmo and Curious George dvds, for an uninterrupted hour. Exersaucers are also great to contain and entertain toddlers who can tolerate sitting still.

I rarely traded off sitting because it was too much work and responsibility to watch someone else’s child who didn’t necessarily want to follow any basic rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am suddenly and unexpectedly a single parents to two elementary age kids. I work full time and have no family nearby or other reliable village. While I work on longer term solutions, are there drop in classes or events on the weekend that last more than an hour? I’m already overwhelmed and really need a few hours over the weekend to manage life things so I can be a good parent to my kids. I’m in DC and obviously driving a distance defeats some of the purpose. Thank you.

You find a good single friend who might sit for free. I used to do this for two friends but one took advantage by coming home 24 hours later than expected and I was left with a 7 year old and 2 year old twins. That was the end of my helping her.