Statistically, there are over eleven million single parent families in the USA. Single moms are the only head of household for about twenty-three percent of American children, and single dads make up another six to eight percent. Whether it is a teenage mom who decided to not have an abortion, or a middle-aged mom who has finally left an abusive relationship, or the man whose wife has left him and the kids for someone else, the stories are unique, but the needs are real. Single parents have all the usual stressors of life and parenthood, along with the special crosses that fall on the single parent. Today we sit down with Christine Therese, single mom of six, who helps us better understand this life of single parents. She shares four “don’ts” when it comes to outreach to single parents, and she ends the episode by giving us practical suggestions for helping to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of single parents in our communities.
Christine wrote a blog article for Ascension about helping single parent families. Check it out!
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I am a single mom, nearing retirement now, and have had exactly the same thought…that each parish needs a point person to be a liaison for single parent families. Support for that liaison person, ie. as many people as possible with different gifts, to help out with the different needs, would be fantastic.