Being a single parent comes with unique sets of hurdles and obstacles. Besides the financial struggles, single parents are often forced to juggle between jobs, household chores, and raising their children.
With no partner to divide responsibilities, single parents have a lot on their plate, but they do everything in their power to provide their children with the best life possible. Sadly, the children don’t always understand what their parents are going through and aren’t grateful for the things, the love, and the sacrifice their moms and dads do for them.
A single mom of two shares a story about her daughter and how she refused to help around the house.
Namely, ever since she and her husband divorced, they remained on good terms and decided not to let the issues they had between them interfere in any way with the upbringing of their son and daughter.
The mom shared that she experience difficulties, both in terms of finance and raising her children. Her ex did contribute financially, but it was far from enough.
On top of that, her daughter, who was 15, refused to help with anything around the house. She didn’t show any interest in helping with her younger brother too.
Not being able to cope with her daughter’s reckless behavior any longer, the mom decided to talk to her in order to explain to her that being part of a family meant sharing the responsibilities and the load, especially during tough times.
She went to the extent to tell her daughter that if she was not willing to help around the house, she needed to pay rent.
The following day, the daughter entered the home together with her father, Carl, who told his ex-wife, “How dare you, she’s a child.”
The daughter’s face was grumpy, but that’s when the woman realized that her plan worked, because the daughter was convinced this was a confrontation between her parents, but it was in fact a strategy to teach her a lesson.
As she assumed her daughter would complain to her father, the woman called her husband beforehand and told him about her plan, and to her surprise, he decided to play along all for the well-being of his daughter.
The parents got into a heated argument in front of their daughter until the mom pretended to pass out.
She couldn’t witness her daughter’s reaction, but according to her ex, their daughter was extremely frightened. It was then that the father told her that he would be taking her and her brother with him, but at his place, she had to take on the responsibilities she had been avoiding at her mom’s place.
At that moment, the daughter started hugging her mom as she threw herself on top of her.
Once the theatrics were over, the woman and her ex had an open and honest conversation with their daughter and explained to her just how important it is for her to understand her role in the household and that she was old enough to have some responsibilities.
Luckily, the conversation worked. Not only the daughter promised to do certain chores around the house and help with her little brother if needed, but she also apologized to her mom for her behavior.
The change that followed in the days to come was incredible, and definitely a positive one.
This story is a proof that we should never underestimate the power of open communication and mutual understanding. This, along with shared parenting values, leads to healthy relationships and healthy children.
The mom from this story chose and unconventional method, it lead to a profound lesson.
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