Life As A Single Parent

Should I treat my children differently after divorce if I have custody?

If you're the main carer of the child you don't need to treat your child any differently following a divorce, but beware of trying to become a super-parent. You'll just end up tiring yourself out.

Should I treat my children differently after divorce if I don't have custody?

If you're not the main carer of the child, then it might be tempting to spoil the child and become an "all treats" parent after a divorce, but do resist that. The other trap to avoid is becoming a big brother or a big sister to your child instead of a parent. Be the father or the mother that you really are.

What's the best way to discipline my child as a single parent?

As a single parent, it might be tempting to either discipline children too much - over-discipline them - or just to relax everything and not to give them any discipline whatsoever. Try and strike a balance between the two. What I found worked was to trust my children all the time until they gave me reason not to trust them, and then asked the reasons why they weren't behaving well.

What to do if my kids don't like my new partner?

If the children don't like your new partner then you must really listen to the reasons why. Is it because they don't like that person from a personality point of view or is it something a little bit more sinister about. Try to talk the truth with them. Try to deal it unemotionally and do your best to try to put their feelings foremost. You may be able to work it out. It is important to do it in small stages.