Hi all, I need a vent, advice or simply a new life!!! Im a single mum to 4 kids aged 10-16. They are brilliant kids and do as much for themselves as they can. I work in 3 different jobs to make up full time hours and generally work a little over full time including weekends and nights. I dont have any support, still live in my home town but my mum is the only one left and she is unavailable. I cant get single parenting payment as i run a small business in disability which has significantly decreased as im trying to wind it up. However, if i cut down hours, eventually I could maybe get the SPP? I guess im asking, what do you all do? Im more than happy to work rather than make claim, but where I live there is no way for my kids to get to and from school without me being there or trying to get someone to pick them up etc. 2 go to after school care and the oldest 2 walk to my mums, but she wont drop them home for me. My house isnt within walking distance and is a very unsafe walk as there are no paths and theybhave to walk a narrow road on steep hill. So basically when I knock off work at 5 im another hour picking everyone up. By the time we get home and get dinner its 7pm and i feel like I spend no time with the kids (i only have them 50%) im tired then and cant give them the quality time I so desperately want to. Im worried if i drop some hours I still may not get SPP (due to other issues centrelink fail to understand) even though my earnings even now are below they just wobt allow mt to receive it. But at the moment i cant keep up with life as it is...burnt out, stressed and anxious over it all. Not sure what im asking?? Maybe someone in the same boat to tell me to suck it up?!!
4 Replies
Those are the hours of every married mum with a job I know too. I wouldn't put myself in financial hardship to avoid the normal hours of a job personally. The kids will suffer because you can't support them if you do.
catch up on your rest on your week off, dinner prep on your week off, clean on your week off, so you can spend quality time on your week with kids. also, try not to work weekends when you have the kids. you actually really have a sweet deal and get more child-free time than anyone i know. i'm a single mum, i accept during the week is crazy, i think most households are like that, single or not.
I wouldnt call my week "off" kids a week off 🤣 i actually work more in that week so i can work less hours in the week i have with kids.
Working full time then coming home and not having to worry about cooking dinner, uniforms for the morning, getting kids organised, would be a week off for most of us mums, well me anyway. So, if you are working less in the week you have the kids, what's the problem? Again, your life sounds pretty great that you have the FLEXIBILITY to work more on the off week and less when you have the kids. I wouldn't change anything if i had that flexibility. I'm a SM and work about 60 hours, week in, week out with an ex who barely sees the kids, just telling you, things could be a lot worse.
So in response to your post: suck it up....