Today in class we read a book called The Spider and the Fly based on a poem by Mary Howitt and beautifully illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. The poetry portrays a cunning spider who is deviously trying to persuade a dear fly into his home. At first the fly refuses saying she knows what happens to those who give in to the spider’s persuasions. The next day when the fly comes by the spider lures her in with his flattery words and she never returns. As I sat in class thinking about this tragic tale I likened it to us as … Continue reading →

So often we write in regards to the single mothers of the world, today I would like to reach out to the single fathers and let them know that they are not forgotten. While there are significantly more single mothers out there, many single fathers are struggling with similar issues that often go unnoticed. Growing up my two best friends were raised by a single father, in a time when single fathers were much less common. It was very unusual in the state of Utah for a father to get sole custody, but due to the extenuating circumstances at the … Continue reading →

When they placed my son in my arms over four years ago there were some things I swore I would never do. As a single mom it got harder to keep all those promises to myself and as guilty as I feel, I have done a fair number of them. So here it goes, here are a few confessions from a single mom. This morning my son had chips for breakfast. We were a half an hour late for church, his shoes were on the wrong feet, I couldn’t find my keys (as usual), and I had to gather all … Continue reading →

For many single parents it seems as if online dating is the only way to meet someone in our current situation. Most single mothers have a very limited amount of time to meet people. If you’re lucky you get every other weekend to yourself, and most of us spend that time doing all the things that we couldn’t do when our children were there during the week. It’s about the only time we can clean something and have it stay clean for more than five minutes so we take advantage of it. Because of our limited amount of time, online … Continue reading →

Getting divorced is so much more complicated when there are children involved. The marriage may be over, but this person will continue to be a part of your life for the next 18 years because of the simple fact that you have children together. This is one of the most difficult things about divorce; you get a constant reminder that your marriage failed and that you now have to share your children. Like it or not, you are tied together for life. You now have to find a way to navigate your new co-parenting relationship, which trust me, is a … Continue reading →

For many single mothers online dating seems to be an easy solution to their problems. Their time is extremely limited. They may have a strong desire to get back into the dating game, but finding the time to do so can be difficult when they only have every other weekend to focus on it, causing many to turn to online dating. More and more people are finding their mate on online dating sites. In fact, some statistics say as many as 20% of couples today met online. For a single parent, it’s a much more convenient way of meeting people. … Continue reading →