Children’s Needs |
Challenges
for Single Parents that conflict with kids’ needs |
When Kids Needs are
Not Met… |
How
to Protect Our Kids |
|
Predictability
Stability
Safety
Net
|
- Juggling
work, sitters, activities, visitation, etc.
- New
family members (stepsibs, parents)
- Discipline/rules/expectations
different at other parent’s
|
- Anxious
or worried children
-
Underachievement
in school
-
Missing
age appropriate activities, feeling left out
-
Resentment
at being ping-pong kids
Disorganized
students
Withdrawn
kids
Kids
emotionally nurturing parents and/or sibs
Reluctance
to take risks
|
Brainstorm here the strategies you can
use to meet your children's needs.
Some ideas:
-
Grandparent involvement
-
Consistent schedule
-
Be involved in kids' school and friends.
-
Using the same babysitter over time
|
|
Love (demonstrated
)
Affection
Encouragement
Attention
|
-
Need
for love and emotional support
Need
to ventilate and confide daily
Leftover
feelings of anger, hurt, or bitterness
Numbness
Lack
of time for social/love life
Loss
of supportive in-laws
Loneliness,
neediness
|
-
Fear
of intimacy
Withdrawal
from friends
Low
self-esteem
Misbehavior,
violence
Anger,
rage
Insatiable
need for attention
Unable
to marry, have children
Demonizing
one parent
Over
identification with one parent
|
|
Conflict
Resolution Skills
|
-
Conflict
with ex
Arguments,
inability to communicate with ex
Ongoing
tension underlying
New
relationships
Legal/court
involvement
Physical
abuse by ex
|
-
Fighting
Manipulation
of both parents and against each other
Sibling
rivalry, step-sibling rivalry
Delayed
marriage and childbearing
Avoidance
of conflict- passivity
|