To be so worried about work as a parent? Am I not very resilient?

[ghimplu]

I’m more of a lone parent really. I get cms but ex does around a day of parenting a week, usually one day at the weekend. Literally no point asking him to do more, it’s a conversation I’ve had many times over. No other support.

The working week is hard and I find it impossible to do proper work like I used to. Has anyone else found this after having a child? I don’t start work on time or finish on time because I’m running round doing drop off and pick up. I try and do food shop on lunch hour etc. It’s all manic. I constantly feel guilty one way or another. I am broke and need the job, I am high earner but lots of debt after separation. I only just get by. I worry always about job security. Anyone else? Just life with a chills or am I not very resilient?

Yes do try this. The first time I did online shopping was during Covid and I've never stopped as it made my life easier. I did a shop for me and a separate one with a different supermarket for my mother, who got regular slots as she was made a priority customer - thank goodness.

Can you do any work from home - maybe two or three days a week? That would take some of the pressure off drop off/pickup and you could make up some work time after hours? You'll also save time if you have any commute into your office. Also investigate local childminders/other wrap around care in your area. Good luck. 🌹

Can strongly recommend robot hoover to keep things ticking over. Game changer for us. Children seem to generate crumbs and mess from the ether.

Exactly. Imagine if all single mothers took the same attitude.

Don't do that! The weekend day without your child is precious and should be used for a well deserved break!

That sounds incredibly tough @ghimplu i think there are ways of streamlining things that make life easier. For example batch cooking and eating the same meal more than once per week, online shopping. Keeping clothes shopping to a minimum. Maybe pick something per week to see how you might stream line it it terms of effort and money and after a few months things might be more simplified. As to your original point though, I think loads of us struggle with the pace of life these days. It is so full on.

100% do an online shop.

Easy meals that you can cook in 20 minutes - jackets, pasta, stir fried noodles, etc or batch cook on the weekend.

The good thing is that if there's only 2 of you and you're out of the house all day at work/school/nursery then no one is trashing the house. So leave the tidying for the weekend.

Make the most of your day on the weekend. Really and truly rest and re-charge. And then use the rest of your time to get sorted for the week so you aren't rushing around doing a million things before work in the morning.