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Confessions of a Single Mum

The ups, the downs and sideways views of life as a single parent

The pros and cons of life as a single parent

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Life as a single parent is at the best of times hard work but it is also very rewarding. Here I have talked to other single parents, as well as my own experience to find out the pros and cons of being a single parent. Being a single parent is lonely Cons - It's lonely, especially if you're not working and the kids are at school or after they have gone to bed. Not everyone has family nearby or friends who understand the situation. You may feel tied to your parenting role and restricted in what ... VIEW POST

Being a single mum is at the best of times hard work but it is also very rewarding. Here I have talked to other single mums, as well as my own experience to find out the pros and cons of being a single mum.

My Top Tips on Coping as a Single Mum

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I am sure I am not the only one who gets asked how to cope with being a single mum, so here are my top tips on how I cope with being a single mum. They helped as much today as they did nearly 10 years ago when I first became a single parent.   Accept there will be good days and bad - it's not just you who will have good and bad days, your children will too. Be as supportive as you can on their bad days and respect the fact they may need to talk about him and the situation. Don't ... VIEW POST

Council Tax Changes 2013

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You can imagine my absolute delight at opening my council tax bill this morning for the coming year to read I now have to pay more.  Yippeee – not . Now don’t get me wrong I am all for paying my way and all that and I understand that the government is trying to sort the finances out so we all have to jolly well pitch in and smile while we empty out our purses but what has annoyed me is how my council have gone about it and the amount they have decided on. ... VIEW POST

Will Universal Credit Single out Single Parents?

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A new analysis by Gingerbread and The Children’s Society says that more than a quarter of a million young or disabled parents will have support dramatically cut under Universal Credit.  The report reveals that young and disabled parents could lose hundreds if not thousands of pounds each year under Universal Credit. In total 900,000 single parent families will lose out when Universal Credit is in place. ... VIEW POST

Benefit Cap

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From April 2013 a limit will be put on the total amount of benefit that most people aged 16 to 64 can get. This is called a benefit cap. If you’re affected, your Housing Benefit will go down to make sure that the total amount of benefit you get isn’t more than the cap level. If you’re already getting benefits and could be affected by the cap you’ll be contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). They’ll let you know what will happen to your benefits. ... VIEW POST

What I Am Doing

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In the back of Confessions of a Single Mum I am rather busy updating the benefit section. It’s well over due and New Year, new start and all that. There have been a few benefit changes and I learnt of two other benefits that parents with children might not be aware of, Care to Learn and Parents Learning Allowance. The new benefit section will be up shortly. But in the meantime here are the two benefits that I have learnt about. ... VIEW POST