Being a parent is a difficult job. You no longer have to support yourself, but you have to support a child that has been born into the world. It's a very difficult time to begin with before having to worry about paying the bills, health concerns or the child's needs.

And just when mom thinks she has it all figured out, there's always a risk of being fired.

In the United States, it cost $233,000 to raise a child. That's a significant amount of money, and if you miss even a few weeks of work, this is enough to cause you to be delinquent on your mortgage payments, car loans or credit cards.

How can a parent deal with being fired?

File for Unemployment Immediately

Unemployment benefits are there when you're in a time of need. Being fired or let go from your job is a time of need. Don't feel guilty for filing for unemployment because it's been something that you've been paying into since you started working.

Every state is slightly different, so you'll need to research how to file in your state.

Your state's website should have an easy way to apply for benefits. Canadians can file for employment insurance on the official website.

Unemployment will provide you with immediate financial relief as you progress through the rest of the points listed below.

Were Your Rights Violated?

Once you've applied for unemployment or employment insurance, it's time to see if your rights have been violated. You may have been wrongfully dismissed from work, and this means that you might have a legal issue to pursue.

It's important to act quickly and discuss your options with a lawyer.

You might have been let go illegally, or you may have legally been terminated. In either case, it's important to know your options moving forward.

"The best advice I can give is to seek legal advice on the offer before you sign. If the offer is reasonable, it will likely be there after you have obtained advice. The more pressure that is put on you by the employer to sign, the greater is the likelihood that the offer is unreasonable," states Marvin A. Gorodensky, Toronto employment lawyer.

Update Your Resume

You've lost your job, and there's no sense in waiting before getting back into the workforce. Your first step at this point is to update your resume. This is normally very easy to do, especially if you update your LinkedIn profile regularly.

You'll want to:

• Write about the position that you held.

• Mention your job duties and any major accomplishments you had.

• Ask your former employer for a reference.

Professionals claim that asking for references is best when you were let go of a position because the company had financial issues. In the event that you were fired because of your own misconduct, it's not in your best interest to list anyone from your previous employer as a point of contact.

Update your social media profiles, talk to old coworkers and make it known to your network that you're looking for a new job. As a parent, even taking a part-time position at this time will keep food on the table.