Going from a two parent house to a single parent house

Fawn001 · 2026-06-06T12:28:48+00:00

Im 18mths post divorce and 12mths in separate houses. Kids, 7M, 6F and 6F 50/50 split.
Its easier solo parenting half the time then being in a failed relationship where you end up doing most of the chores and working full time.
Its taken a while to get to this point, but i now think of the divorce as a blessing. And the important thing is that the kids are doing well.

engineered-chemistry · 2026-06-03T22:16:17+00:00

My kids are 10, 9, 5. They all have chores and clean up after themselves. If my 5 year old drops food on the floor, he cleans the floor. They put their clothes away when I do laundry, set the table for dinner and take turns loading the dish washer. My house is always cleaner than our marital home ever was and she stayed at home!

Focus your efforts on stuff that matters. Give yourself and your kids grace. There are and will be overwhelming moments, take a deep breath and chill for a bit.

It took a while to get into the swing but I’ve got a well oiled machine. Women I date with a kid or two can’t even believe I’m not stressed the hell out and always tired considering I work a full time job too (engineer). They don’t know, it’s easier now than it was when I was married haha.

Paddle_Pedal_Puddle · 2026-06-03T21:34:43+00:00

Here are my suggestions: 1. Give the kids responsibilities and chores and have meaningful consequences if they don’t live up to them. They need this anyway, but a lot of moms tend to baby the kids. 2. Manage priorities based on your custody schedule. I put more into work on the weeks I don’t have the kids and also use those weeks to catch up on stuff around the house and errands. I block off time on my work calendar for kid pick-ups and drop-offs. 3. Take over responsibility of building a network of your kids friends, teammates, neighbors, etc. so that you can coordinate carpooling, kid meet-ups, and logistics. 4. Give yourself some grace and accept that sometimes your B game is gonna have to be enough. 5. Calendar EVERYTHING.

Helpful-Paramedic463 · 2026-06-03T12:32:06+00:00

Single parent here with all three kids living with me full time. One in college, one in high school, and one in middle school.

1 piece of advice - the kids have to help with the house and that is non negotiable. If my kids don't, I take money out of their accounts. My oldest college kid was being lazy and not helping so I removed her from the family cell plan. Told her next step she's off insurance. Money is a great motivator.

Definitely need to have the older ones help especially since they can drive.

You have to make them own chores around the house. You cannot do everything. They need to sweep, mop, do dishes, they need to help.

Google Calendar is a must. Gotta have everything on there to deconflict any issues to include your dating life.

I never brought a woman back to the house. Only time I did was after we'd been dating for 4 months. A very slow and calculated intro to my kids and hers.

We're in communication daily about what's going on and who's doing what.

My ex basically had her brain melt and moved in with a rando and barely helps with anything. Lately she's gotten better about using her time to take the youngest to regular appointments for dental and what not.

Grafixx5 · 2026-06-03T11:18:31+00:00

Each situation is different. Depending on the age, you could ask the older kids to step up and help do things. If they’re not old enough to do it on their own, then starting you to teach them responsibility is key.

As for after school, well, it was different when we were kids because the schools started out as high school, middle school and then elementary school in start of day order. They got out in those times slots as well. Now, from what I am told, they flopped high school with elementary school because of the vast amount of homework that high schoolers get on a daily basis that it is stopping g them from getting enough sleep because of staying up so late doing the homework. (Laughable bs excuse)

guy_n_cognito_tu · 2026-06-03T10:11:12+00:00

I mean, I came from a marriage where my SAHM of a wife did virtually nothing, so it really wasn’t a change for me.

Ok-Anything-3605 · 2026-06-03T09:32:07+00:00

I have 3 kids (12,8,7) you just have to focus and prioritize. Wife moved out one year ago. Now i can parent without any interference since i always put the kids first anyway. Good luck

RyanGetty1 · 2026-06-03T07:56:47+00:00

It's called being from a broken home. Let's not sugarcoat it. It's not going to go smooth... be mindful of that going forward.

Title	Going from a two parent house to a single parent house
Author	EnvironmentalRate853
Upvotes	9
Comments	29
Date	June 3, 2026 7:16 AM UTC (2 months ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Divorce_Men
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Divorce_Men/comments/1tvhuq2/going_from_a_two_parent_house_to_a_single_parent/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Divorce_Men/going-from-a-two-parent-house-to-a-single-parent.1581955 https://theredarchive.com/post/1581955

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