Study: Kids Raised by Single Moms do as Well as Kids Raised by Two Parents

A study that was published by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology found that children of single mothers are no more likely to suffer later in life than kids raised by a mother and a father “in terms of parent-child relationship or child development.” Researchers from the University of Amsterdam looked at 69 “single-mothers-by-choice.” By that, they meant women who knowingly chose to raise their child alone. The researchers also looked at 59 mothers from heterosexual two-parent families. All of the parents in the study had children between the ages of 1.5 years of age and 6 years … Continue reading

The Life of a Working Single Mother

The life of a single mother is packed. Her mornings are spent running around like mad trying to get all the kids ready for school, packing lunches, pouring cereal, gathering things for work, making sure the kids got their homework done, then rushing to get them to the bus on time, and if she’s lucky she may even get out the door in time for work. She spends the day slaving away at her job, then comes home to make dinner, help the kids with homework, do the dishes, get the kids bathed and ready for bed, stories, and finally … Continue reading

A Caution to Single Parents

Today in class we read a book called The Spider and the Fly based on a poem by Mary Howitt and beautifully illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. The poetry portrays a cunning spider who is deviously trying to persuade a dear fly into his home. At first the fly refuses saying she knows what happens to those who give in to the spider’s persuasions. The next day when the fly comes by the spider lures her in with his flattery words and she never returns. As I sat in class thinking about this tragic tale I likened it to us as … Continue reading

Single Dads Not Forgotten

So often we write in regards to the single mothers of the world, today I would like to reach out to the single fathers and let them know that they are not forgotten. While there are significantly more single mothers out there, many single fathers are struggling with similar issues that often go unnoticed. Growing up my two best friends were raised by a single father, in a time when single fathers were much less common. It was very unusual in the state of Utah for a father to get sole custody, but due to the extenuating circumstances at the … Continue reading

Single Dads And Their Baby Mommas

Have you noticed how many more single dads there are now? It used to be that single dads were a rarity and usually were the result of the death of a spouse. Not anymore. More and more women are choosing to allow their children to live with their fathers. It’s still pretty taboo. When people meet a single father they instantly assume the mother of those children is worthless, after all, what kind of woman walks away from her children? Men and women walk away every day, and have been for years but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the … Continue reading

Single Parenting is Not Glamorous

I’ve read many studies that say the rise in single parenting is also influencing the rise in teenage pregnancy. To many young girls single parenting looks glamorous, from the outside. Teenage girls who can’t wait to get away from their parents see pregnancy as an out and when they see lots of women raising their kids alone, they think it’s not a big deal. Not only is single parenting a big deal, single, teenage parenting is a huge deal. Many times the single mothers they see are established in their careers, they have a strong financial base, they also have … Continue reading

Single Parenthood for the Rich and Famous

Isn’t it nice to know that Madonna struggles as a single parent too? Excuse me while I go in the other room and scream! I may be a little bitter about it but if I hear one more extremely wealthy woman complain about how hard it is to juggle single motherhood and her career I think my head is going to explode. I wonder how many nights Madonna has walked the floor with a teething infant or been woken up multiple times by a toddler with night terrors and then had to take that same tired, cranky child to daycare … Continue reading

Single Parenting an Opposite Gender Child

I think I’ve had it pretty easy as a single mother, I had one child and she is a girl, this is territory that I know! What if you are a single parent raising the opposite gender child? You have some learning to do and it will be easier than you think! Dad while discipline may come easier for you than the nurturing side of parenting, you must remember to nurture. If your little girl gets a boo boo it’s important that you are comforting and kiss it better if necessary. This is not the time for life is not … Continue reading

Divorced Men and Women on Dating

Recently a study of 2000 people was done as part of a promo for the movie” Crazy, Stupid Love” and it was discovered that divorced men are more eager to remarry than divorced women. 47% of divorced men were ready to remarry compared with only 20% of divorced women. Men also seem to jump back into the dating world faster than women with more of them using on line dating services and willing to hire a professional matchmaker to help them find a woman. They didn’t ask any follow up questions so I don’t know why the participants answered the … Continue reading

The Other Side of Single Parenting

There are many different ways one can come into single parenting. The majority of my blogs are focused on the divorce aspect of single parenting, but today I’d like to look at the other side. I teach Sunday School at my church. My class is full of five year olds, all of whom come from single parent families. I knew this going in, but hadn’t really thought much about how each child came into this situation. Most, like my own son, have experienced the divorce of their parents, which is difficult in and of itself, but one explained to me … Continue reading