Lockdown as a single Mum

As many parents will be agonising over whether to send their children back to school when they reopen, for others it will be time to reflect on how they have spent their time in lockdown and whether it has been a life changing experience.

As a working parent, the chance to work from home, seemed like something dreams are made of, a chance to balance your work/life tasks without having to take extra days off, be late or leave the office early in order to sort out childcare, the school assembly or parents evening. But the dream never combined working from home with home schooling.

Difficult enough when there are two adults in the home, juggling for quiet space for conference calls, competing over technology and trying to motivate your children to work remotely, but try doing all of that on your own.

90 per cent of single parents are women and many would agree, lockdown is very much business as usual, no social life, being self-sufficient and juggling work and childcare.

Both children and adults alike thrive on routines so it is important to set out some kind of structure for the day.

Julia Ripley is a single Mum and Marketing and Business development Director for Straightforward Design, she says routine is crucial for survival, here are her tips for getting yourself motivated.