How can I overcome my child’s aversion to my girlfriend? I’m the father of a wonderful six-year-old boy. His mother divorced me when he was about three, and has since remarried. At present, she has primary custody and I have visitation rights. My son doesn’t like to “share” me with anyone else and this has …
Single Parenting Q&A
Now that I’m divorced, how can I stay involved with my kids? One of the most difficult outcomes of the settlement is that it limits my contact with them. Legally, I’m only allowed to have them a few days out of each month. I’d like to be more involved, but my ex-wife is very strict …
How do I answer my preschooler’s questions about his father who left the family when I was three months pregnant and hasn’t been in touch since? Lately my son has been asking why his dad doesn’t live with us. What should I tell him?
How does your ministry view unmarried moms and their kids? I’m raising a couple of kids on my own. Up to this point my search for a church home hasn’t been too encouraging – I get a strong impression that some Christians don’t approve of women like me and our “illegitimate” children. What’s your perspective?
Will my divorce have any serious long-term effects on my kids? Our marriage has been very difficult, and I recently contacted a divorce attorney in order to discuss and explore my options. My children are still young – between 8 and 14 – and sometimes I become extremely depressed and anxious thinking about how the divorce …
Should I tell my kids the truth about why their father doesn’t live with us anymore? After becoming involved in an adulterous affair, he left me and moved in with the “other woman.” My children are confused because their dad has been lying to them about where he’s living and the reasons for our separation. …
As a single mom with three young children, is it okay for me to want another person around to help carry the load? I used to feel pretty self-sufficient, but the burden of doing it all by myself is getting heavier. I work full time, take online college courses, and I’m active in church. Do …
Should I, as a single parent, be thinking seriously about adopting another child? How does your ministry feel about this?
How can a single mom find a man (or several men) capable of providing the masculine influence and guidance her children need as they approach puberty? I feel it’s important for them to have good male role models to look up to and learn from. Any ideas on how I should go about finding one?
As a single mother of a preschooler, should I continue a relationship with a man who doesn’t strike me as having the potential to be a good dad? I’ve met a man at church who is a solid Christian, and we’ve developed strong feelings for one another, but I just don’t know whether he would …
How should I respond to my son’s questions about his dad, a convicted felon who is serving a long prison sentence? We’re living with my parents until I can raise enough money to move out. He has some great role models in my father and my brothers, but I’m worried that he will somehow end …
How can I parent my child most effectively when our family has been divided by divorce? I’m a single mother of a four-year-old son. He goes to stay with his father, who left me when I was pregnant with him, every other weekend. When he comes home, he cries for his dad. This really hurts …
As a divorced woman, what can I do about my young child’s resistance to my efforts to develop relationships with men and to have a social life outside the home? My son simply doesn’t like to “share” me with anyone else. How can I best explain to him my reasons for desiring adult male companionship? …
Should my husband and I spend Christmas morning together with the kids at his parents’ house in spite of the fact that we’ve been separated for four months? He said he wants me to come because he’s hoping to be present next year when it’s my turn to have the kids on Christmas morning. Although …
How do I answer my child’s difficult questions about her absent father? I broke up with her dad almost eight years ago — when she was just a baby — and she has never met him. But lately she’s been asking things like, “Do you still love Daddy?” and “Why doesn’t he love me? ” …
How can I help my teens deal with the fallout of my divorce? It’s been painful for everyone, but I’m especially concerned about my oldest son. Ever since my ex-husband left a year and a half ago, he seems to be putting himself under a lot of pressure to assume the role of the “man …
How do I tell my young children that their dad won’t be around for a long time because he’s going to jail? He just received a two-year prison term. Is there a gentle way to break this to them and help them understand?
How can I convince my adult son that matrimony is valuable and worthwhile when his own parents couldn’t make it work? My ex-spouse and I split up when my children were still small, and I thought it was all water under the bridge. Now I find that my son blames me and his dad for …
How does divorce affect kids? We’re in the process of getting a divorce, and it seems to be taking a heavy toll on the entire family. Our kids have been acting out in a wide variety of ways. Some of their behavior has been so extreme that I’m becoming seriously concerned about them. What’s considered …
How can I reconnect with my children after divorcing their mother and abandoning them? I regret to say that I walked out on my wife and family several years ago. Since then, I’ve found the Lord and realized my mistake. Now I’d like to get back in touch with my kids, but they don’t want …
