Kyria

Solo Act

"I don't think any woman ever envisions herself a single mom," Angela Thomas, author of My Single–Mom Life (Thomas Nelson), candidly admits. Angela, 45, is a well–known speaker and author who holds a master's degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. The mom of four—Taylor, 17, Grayson, 14, William, 12, and AnnaGrace, 10—Angela's been divorced for more than six years. Here, ...

Solo Son

Among the few memories Donald Miller has of his dad is the Christmas Eve he showed up on the back porch with a garbage bag full of unwrapped toys. Then there was a lunch or two. That's it. Donald Miller grew up in a world of women—his mother, sister, and a nearby aunt.

Donald is 34 now, but this best-selling author of Blue Like Jazz has much in common with the current generation of young boys, ...

Related Topics: Father God, Fatherlessness, Love, God's, Mentoring, Single Mothers

Solo Act

I'm a single mom and have to work to keep food on the table. I'm exhausted by the time I pick up my kids at daycare, and I don't feel I'm giving my two girls—two and five—much quality time. Their dad is pretty much out of the picture. Any suggestions on how to be a better mom and lose the guilt?

Within your last question is the answer to the first: Lose the guilt. Easier said than done, I ...

Related Topics: Child-rearing, Children, Cursing, Family, Guilt, parenting, Single parents

Single Parenting Survival Tips

Being a single parent is stressful, intense, and frustrating, yet is also one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Over the past five years of parenting my four kids alone, I've discovered a few strategies for survival, which I hope others will find useful too.

First, I have to maintain my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who's the true source of my strength. This means I'm ...

On the Family Front

How Does Your Garden Grow?

My first garden was planted in a Dixie cup. My kindergarten teacher passed out the paper cups and marigold seeds, then troweled mounds of dark earth into each of our "flower pots." A few sprinkles of water were added to our dirt to create what looked like mud. Finally she showed us how to gently push our marigold seeds down into the dirt.

That afternoon, I took my Dixie cup garden home, carefully carrying ...

Here and Now

If there's one word that describes the life of a single parent, it's hectic. Even though my kids are older now, it doesn't take much for me to remember that feeling of having too much to do and far too little time to do it. I thought I'd never have a moment of rest again. But here I sit in a quiet house, wondering how time could have possibly passed by so quickly.

I remember one typical week when I ...

Dare to Be a Friend

The ringing phone woke me up. Barely awake, I looked at the clock. Who would be calling at 1:30 a.m.? I wondered, with a slight bit of panic. I picked up the phone and heard nothing but weeping. Then a choked voice came through. It was Jennifer,* one of my closest friends. "Barbara, would you please meet me at the police station?" she sobbed. "It's Scott.* He's been arrested for possession of marijuana." ...

Be a Dreammaker

Another hectic morning— I was so tired of rushing! As my daughter Noel and I hurried through the school hallway on our way to her fifth-grade classroom, she reached out and grabbed my hand.

"Mom, I want to speak French when I grow up. I want to visit the Eiffel Tower."

I was too frazzled to really pay attention, so Noel jerked my hand again. "Mom, did you hear me?" Suddenly I felt a tender nudging from ...

Speak Up

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! Surely Noel’s third-grade teacher wasn’t referring to my daughter.

Yet, as I listened during a parent-teacher conference, she commented, "Noel talks too much in class, interrupts me when I teach, and has a difficult time sitting still."

Hoping to offer the teacher some insight into my child, I told her I was going through a divorce and that lately, things were ...