SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES CAN SUCCEED - Continue with: A Lone Parent, but Not Alone

Sound home management.  Successful single parents strive to be well organized and work hard to  coordinate schedules.  Proper planning and organization are essential.  The Bible says:  "The plans of the diligent one surely makes for advantage." -Proverbs 21:5. 

Commitment.  Successful single parents make family life one of their first priorities.  The focus on putting the needs of their children ahead of their own. -1 Timothy 5:8. 

A balanced approach. Successful single parents neither minimize nor exaggerate problems; they seek solutions. They accept the difficulties and try to cope with them without self-pity or bitterness.

Good communication.  Successful single parents foster communication. They encourage clear and open expression of thoughts and feelings in the family.  Says a single father about his children: "I talk to them at every opportunity. We have 'cozy moments' when we prepare dinner. It is then that they really confide in me."

Caring for Oneself.  Despite the demands on their time, successful single parents recognize that caring for their own spiritual, emotional, and physical needs is important. Ethel,  a divorced single mother of two, explained:  "I try to save some time for myself.   For example, when a friend gives the children music lessons, that gives me an hour to myself. I sit down and leave the TV off." 

A positive attitude.  Successful single parents maintain a positive outlook toward parenting and life in general.  They see positive aspects in stressful situations.  One single mother states:   "I've come to realize that being a single parent is not all negative." 

Next time: SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES CAN SUCCEED -Conclusion of  A Lone Parent, but Not Alone/Success Stories

From the Awake! magazine