A single parent must learn quickly the available resources in the community as part of the task of providing for their family. Some single parents, may get financial assistance from family members and former spouses but may
lose this extra money, in any government assistance they receive.
Desperation and lack of knowledge, education and skills can lead to developing inappropriate 'survival skills' that rely upon misleading others to maintain their lifestyle or delusions of grandeur. Such skills can be theft,
joining gangs, selling drugs and/or prostitution. These are skills that may become idealized as the only available means to gaining extra money or material property without loss but not realizing the emotional, legal
and/or psychological long term effects of having to live with the consequences. Some single parents come to a new town or city from a rural setting and have no family nearby and are left to learn completely on their own or through conversations with new friends.
A few single parents have learned to avoid these methods altogether. Some single parents have learned to access programs available to them such as the following ;
-- Single Parent Home Buying Program
-- Single Parent Scholarships
-- Subsidized Daycare
-- Food resources
-- Employment and Income Support Programs
-- Business Development Programs
These resources can be found through contact with various social service programs and caring staff members of
these organisations, such as the following ;
-- Children and Family Services
-- Employment Centres
-- Edcuation Centres
-- Single Parent Networks
-- Women Shelters
-- Youth Shelters
-- Single Parent Groups
I have only touched on a list of the available resources and there are many more. A single teenage parent has become a parent with greater responsibilities and therefore must learn to adapt quickly to being a parent and single with children that trust and utterly depend upon your abilities.
A single parent must learn to manage and schedule their activities and follow through. To be truly independent and self-reliant will require the ambition to learn new skills, access all available resources and most of all, commit
the time to learn and realize, their own personal needs are no longer a priority.
Fear of being alone or other reasons has been resolved with having a child. Fear of success can be overcome with learning what you want, how to get there and where to go, to get there. Envision where you want to be five years
from now and start taking the steps to a better life for you and your child(ren).
Article(C)2009 Dame Scribe, all rights reserved. Dame Scribe creates articles and posts online. She creates articles on business skills & development, health, science, technology and society and has a strong passion for
writing. Read more at hubpages.com/profile/dame+scribe
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