Parents Dating

My sister-in-law came from a single parent family, and she and her brother are two of the best-adjusted, kind people that I have ever met.  Their parents divorced when they were around the ages of 7 and 12.  Single parents can raise children that grow up to be happy and productive individuals of society, and a lot of it has to do with how you handle the situation of being single.

Here are some tips on how to raise a psychologically-well child:

• Develop a positive attitude - This can be a learned skill.  It will not necessarily be something that you can develop overnight, but if you work on it, you CAN change your attitude.  I say this, because I have to admit that I had a negative, complaining attitude a lot of the time (and I never knew it).  It wasn’t until I started reading books that taught me how to be positive that I realized how far I had come.  Having a positive attitude is important for single parents as you are your children’s main role model and they will feed off of your attitude, whatever that may be.  Yes, there will be challenges and many overwhelming feelings many times, but learn
• If you are single parents because of a relationship break-up, never put down your children’s father or mother (no matter how much the other parent might deserve it) - Dr. Phil on his T.V. show says it so well, “Fighting amongst parents changes who your children are.”  I know that when my husband and I have had a disagreement about something and our children have seen that we were annoyed with one another, they got caught in the middle and felt like they would have to choose sides.  The best thing you can do for your children, is for you and your ex to have an agreement to be civil with one another and if talking about one another with friends when the children are present.

Further information on this topic can be read at Single Parenting – Raising an Emotionally-Strong Child