Sick days? None. Salary? None. Health insurance? Nope. Endless love and supermom status? Yes. This is the job description of the single mom.
Parenting

Not in My Job Description: Single Mom or Super Mom?

Sick days? None. Salary? None. Health insurance? Nope. Endless love and supermom status? Yes. This is the job description of the single mom.[nextpage title=”Page 1″ ]

By Liv of Live By Surprise

Ahhh…single motherhood. The best unpaid job that you’ll ever have. Single moms see it all – a 24/7 job with no pay but so many fringe benefits.

JOB TITLE: Mom, Mamma, Mama, Mother, (ROLLING EYES) Mooooomm!

POSITION PURPOSE: The role of the position is to perform duties and tasks to facilitate clients to live at home in a safe, secure and comfortable way and ensure that they mature into physically and mentally healthy, independent adults.

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE: Strong organizational and planning skills.  Must be proficient in accounting/math, grammar and spelling. Must have ability to adapt to a challenging and ever-increasing workload in a constantly changing and often chaotic environment.  Flexible attitude and compassion for working with client group is essential.

Must have knowledge/skills in the following areas:

HOUSEKEEPING/COOKING:

Perform general housekeeping duties such as sweeping, cleaning, dusting, laundry, linen changes and picking up/taking out garbage. Includes identification and clean-up of blood, bodily fluids and other hazardous materials as required.

Assist clients with all instrumental activities of daily living (i.e. including, but not limited to, personal hygiene, feeding, dressing, bathing and toileting, cooking, banking, shopping, etc). Provide companionship, emotional support and protective supervision as needed. Perform meal planning, identify and shop for necessary ingredients (sometimes with clients in tow). Prepare meals, clean up kitchen to sanitary condition.

TEACHING:

Facilitate learning by establishing a relationship with client and fostering the appropriate skills and social abilities to enable the optimum development of client, according to age, ability and aptitude. Assist with assigned homework and projects. Prepare clients for tests and examinations. Link client knowledge to earlier learning and develop ways to encourage it further, and challenge and inspire clients to help them deepen their knowledge and understanding. Must be proficient in the “new” math, English, grammar, spelling, science and various other topics as required. Must be able to co-ordinate multiple homework projects with short deadlines and limited information.

MEDICAL CARE/FIRST AID:

Ability to assess a change in medical condition, noting full details of the change, such as, but not limited to, temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiration, skin condition, location and severity of pain, and general condition (i.e. restlessness, anxiety, aggression, coma, etc.). Provide appropriate treatment as required, including providing medication, dressing or re-dressing wounds, applying topical cream. Full knowledge of “boo-boo” treatment, including scrapes, bumps, bruises, infections and bloody noses required. Must be able to record accurate signs and symptoms and recite relevant client history of illness or injury (where, when, how) from memory as required.

EVENT PLANNING:

Organizational skills required to coordinate schedules to avoid need to be in two places at once, ability to creatively plan and hold various events, including birthday parties, holiday parties, sleepovers with limited funds as required. Must promote clients’ interaction with family members and socialization in the community.  Identify and address emerging client problems or needs and liaise with other experts (including medical experts) as required. You will also be required to fill out trip forms, provide medical information and carry and/or safeguard client ID (passports, library cards, etc).

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ADDITIONAL SKILLS:

  • Must be adept in monster-under-the-bed/in-the-closet removal.
  • Ability to bite tongue repeatedly.
  • Mind reading an asset.
  • Ability to carry loads in excess of 70 pounds.
  • Repair work and product assembly required, including computer hardware and software skills, small gadgets and battery operated devices, stuck zippers, as well as minor seamstress and button sewing skills.
  • Multi-tasking skills a necessity. Must be able to recite an oral assignment from memory while driving and applying a band-aid.
  • Bilingual in baby, toddler and teenager desirable.
  • Other duties as required.

EXPERIENCE: Helpful, but not required. Continual on-the-job training will be provided.

HOURS: Hours will be based on client needs. Weekly schedules may vary. On call 24/7. Must be willing to work evenings, weekends and holidays. Some late/midnight shifts required.

TRAVEL: Provide transportation for medical appointments, community errands, school, grocery/clothing shopping and social and sports activities as required. Personal vehicle required to facilitate employee travel between job sites. Travel expenses not reimbursed.

SALARY: This is a non-recompensed position with a reverse salary. You must pay your client(s) for the privilege of taking care of them with continual bonuses and raises. To make ends meet, you will be required to take on outside work. This outside job must be flexible – you may need to leave your “second” job at any time to address client emergencies.

BENEFITS:

  • Dental/health care plan: None
  • Tuition reimbursement: None
  • Paid holidays/vacation: None
  • Sick days:  None.
  • Job does offer opportunities for personal growth and includes kisses, hugs and the occasional (sometimes begrudging) compliment. These will be numerous at the beginning of the position, taper off to quiet resentment about 15 years in, and return after semi-retirement (if you’re lucky, after 20 years).

Must be willing to accept full and final responsibility for the end product.

At semi-retirement you may be promoted as job advancement to the post of “Grandmother,” “Grandma,” “Gramma” or “Nana.”

NOTE: This position description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. The order in which duties and responsibilities are listed is not significant. Because of a need to remain responsive to client need, responsibilities may be modified at any time.

This post was originally published in DivorcedMoms.com

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About Liv

Liv is the pseudonym reformed divorcee and single mom – now married, coparenting and working mother of three. She’s been featured on ScaryMommy, HuffPost Divorce, Your Tango, Club Mid and DivorcedMoms.com. More at Live By Surprise.