Media Release
Friday 21 April, 2006
What about me? on Mother's Day
Mums facing Mother's Day alone are invited to take advantage of a free booklet designed to help parents deal better with relationship breakdowns.
The Child Support Agency (CSA) free publication What About Me? is full of useful tips and hints on looking after yourself following a separation, including recognising depression, building self-confidence and managing stress and financial pressures.
'Being a mum is demanding. Being a single mother can be especially hard. I hope on Mother's Day that separated mums will take some time to think about their own wellbeing and celebrate the great job they do.'
'Separation is a major life crisis and it's easy to forget about yourself while you're looking after children, sorting out finances and coming to terms with new living arrangements.'
'What about me? includes an action plan for taking care of yourself so you can be there for your family, tips on dealing with conflict, and where parents can go for help if they need it.'
'This booklet is a great resource for separated mums and dads, who may not be giving their own health and wellbeing enough attention,' Mr Miller said.
Claudia Keech, Editor of Motherinc.com.au said, 'As a single parent, it's easy to invest all your emotional and physical energy into your kids. However, being tired and grumpy is not a great role-model for our kids. What About Me? provides great idea's for Mother's Day as well as throughout the entire year to find time to invest in yourself.'
The booklet was first produced in 2004 and more than 145,000 copies have been distributed to date.
CSA has a number of other free products available to assist separated parents and their families including:
- Dealing with Separation, an interactive CD-ROM.
- Me & My Kids: Parenting from a distance (PDF 485k)
- Me & my Money: Practical money ideas (PDF 691k)
- Me, my kids and my Ex: Forming a workable relationship with your ex for the benefit of your children (PDF 835k)
To order any of these free products parents can contact CSA on 13 1272 or visit www.csa.gov.au.
Media enquiries:
0434 605 144
media@csa.gov.au
