Single Parent And Serving Him

It is surprising how little power many parents exercise over the lives of their teens. In so many homes, the teens are in charge. They use manipulation tactics, bad attitudes, arguments, and even threats to get their way. They play on parents’ fears and weaknesses, and they know just when to strike and how far is too far. Parents throw their hands up in the air and surrender the fight. Their lukewarm tactics become about surviving, not thriving. They figure they only have to endure the trial of the teen years for a short time and if they can just get through this season, things will be better.  Read more...

My life, like yours, is busy, even chaotic at times as the New Year begins. Certain holidays and celebrations can be a little bit more difficult than others for a single dad. Valentine’s Day used to be one of those holidays for me, but I learned some fun personal and practical family activities to celebrate without feeling the “Valentine Blues” that often come forsingle dads.

The first thing I had to re-think for myself was the commercial association of Valentine’s Day. My mental picture of love letters, cards, and flowers sent to the office and the romantic dinner date that evening was not the only way to see it happening for me. Everything changes when you are divorced or widowed.  Read more...

I had to “think out of the box” on my first Valentine’s Day as single father without my children. I have two separate suggestions to make on this subject, because both of them worked effectively for me on two separate occasions.

My first suggestion is based on my community of friends and how they helped me out during my time of loneliness. My two best friends from college and high school took me out for some great food and great laughs and it made all the difference in the world for me to celebrate and realize that there is a difference between feeling lonely and being alone. As single fathers, we are never alone, but we can always feel lonely. I realized that I am only a phone call away from anyone, and that was a big life lesson learned that evening.  Read more...

I have always been one of those people, that tries hard to get along with everyone and wants to be liked by everyone.  I was the kid that interacted with “all” the groups in school, stuck up for the kid that was getting picked on and seemed to be everyones best friend.  All these years later I continue to find myself holding that position and while it is one I will always value I have come to realize that there are times it can bring challenges and divorce is no exception.

With that being said and three divorces later, I am a huge advocate for people trying to find a way to get along following the chaos divorce can bring.  This is easier said than done but the gifts it can bring to everyone involved is priceless and most importantly, can bring a much better lifestyle to the kids.  Divorce is hard on everyone and divorce does not just bring an ending to a marriage but can sometimes bring an end to an entire way of life.  Read more...