Tell Us An Awesome Single-Parent Story/Thank a Single Parent!

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seoulsearch

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
#1
May 23, 2009
14,943
4,585
113
#1
Hey everyone,

After doing a lot of reading here in the forum, I know the single parents are probably feeling a little bit beaten up. I just wanted to encourage everyone to share a great single-parent story or word of thanks.

I was once in a 3-year relationship with a single father who had two small children. While I will be the first to tell you that it's not a situation for everyone (the relationship crumbled due to tension between the father and I, not so much because of the kids), I'm grateful for what I learned during that time and it gave me a new perspective on how hard it is to be a parent, especially by oneself.

I have two favorite stories to share about single parents:

1. I once knew someone who came from a family of 4 kids. The father was very successful and the mother stayed at home. The father started seeing another woman on the side and informed his wife that this was just how it was going to be, seeing as he made all the money.

The mother, having only a high school diploma and not having worked outside the home since the kids were born, told him, "If that's your choice, I will take these kids and raise them by myself." And that's exactly what she did.

I can't imagine having that kind of strength!

2. The pastor of the church I now attend loves to tell us the story of his own family--his mother was a single mom with 8, count 'em, 8 children. She then married his stepdad, who had 7, yes, 7, kids of his own. They then went on to have 1 more baby on their own (look out, Duggards!)

My pastor said at one point, there were 14 teenagers living in the house at the same time, all going through their rebellious phases at once. He readily admits to being disrespectful to his stepdad as a teen, but as an adult, has nothing but complete respect for the man (I would too!)

What's even more interesting is that my pastor is in his 50's, so this was back at a time when blended families weren't as common as they are now. I can only imagine the whispers and criticisms they must have faced.

Single parents, we know it's hard, and we appreciate that you are raising your children for the glory of God. We're sorry for the times we may have been harsh or judgmental, and we want you to know that we pray for you and stand behind you. Maybe we aren't the right one to be your spouse, but that doesn't mean our prayers and thoughts aren't with you!

How about all of you? Is there an awesome single parent out there who's influenced your life?
 
C

Catlynn

Guest
#2
#2
I just want to say thank you so much for this post! You're the only one to post so far and already I'm insanely encouraged. :)

The woman that I work for had her two oldest children from a previous marriage. During the time of their separation and divorce she worked a graveyard shift job while the kids stayed with her parents. She worked hard loading and unloading heavy boxes all through the night so that she could spend her days with her young children. She valued that time she had with them and knew that during that time, more than ever, they needed HER time. So she rarely slept. :) she sacrificed a lot to be there for them.

I have another one about my friend's dad, whom I've never met, who snatched his daughter up out of the trash can in Iraq after his wife threw her away (because she was a girl) then fled the country illegally and took her from city to city, working odd jobs here and there before arriving in Sweden and starting a new life with her there. O_O holy smokes.

Thanks again for this post! I had been feeling down lately. :)
 
U

Ugly

Guest
#3
#3
Well, i think any single parents who genuinely tries and cares for their children and gives their all is awesome. Its not even an issue of if they 'succeed' or not, but that they did their best, no matter how it turned out.

Catlynn is a good example. She made her mistakes, but she's owned up to them. And she's made every effort to do what she can to not put herself, or her daughter, in that situation again. She's left her friends and her past behind and is pushing on with a new future for her and her daughter.

There are others as well, both on CC, and offline i've known. It's a difficult job, and churches should be doing more to support these men and women.
 
C

Catlynn

Guest
#4
#4
Ugly said:
Well, i think any single parents who genuinely tries and cares for their children and gives their all is awesome. Its not even an issue of if they 'succeed' or not, but that they did their best, no matter how it turned out.

Catlynn is a good example. She made her mistakes, but she's owned up to them. And she's made every effort to do what she can to not put herself, or her daughter, in that situation again. She's left her friends and her past behind and is pushing on with a new future for her and her daughter.

There are others as well, both on CC, and offline i've known. It's a difficult job, and churches should be doing more to support these men and women.
Click to expand...
*hugs*
Thanks friend.
 
S

See_KING_Truth

Guest
#5
#5
Many times single moms, especially the Christian ones, are known and judged based on the fruit of their past instead of people knowing them by looking at the fruit being beared in the present, which is totally unjust.
 
C

Catlynn

Guest
#6
#6
It happens. God's been teaching me the past week or so that I'm not responsible for what others think. I just have to live a life of love for God and others no matter what. :)
 
S

See_KING_Truth

Guest
#7
#7
Amen to that! Just keep on keepin' on. I don't know you or much about you, but with a little observation it seems to me that you have completely turned your life around and are on the right path, that straight and narrow one that leads to life :)
 
C

Catlynn

Guest
#8
#8
:D
God is good.
 
seoulsearch

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
#10
May 23, 2009
14,943
4,585
113
#10
Some of the people who have been my best friends and mentors either were/are single parents, or were raised by one. ;)
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#11
#11
There are no single stories that come to mind, but to watch the man my son has come to be, having become the man of the house at 12 years old when his dad passed. Makes me cry sometimes when I see him trying to fill his dad's shoes. I wish he didn't feel that he needed to, but it's just the sort of kid he is. Who am I to steal a blessing from him?
 
B

BCJ

Guest
#12
#12
Im a single mom of three, my girls are an awesome gift from God. Ages 19, 12 and 11. I have been a single mom for more than 10 years. I left when my lastborn was just 5 days old. I had to, and never turned back. I started from zero. It has been a tough journey, but the good Lord has been on my side even when i didnt know it. When i left i focused on me and my kids only. I got myself a job and put my kids in daycare . Went back to school, graduated, better job and now we just thank Him. My oldest daughter gave her life to christ when she was 14y, i attended my friends wedding with my kids, she was so happy to be in the church !! I was never going to church then, although i believed in God and prayed daily . God took care of my daughter for me, she became a good example to the younger ones. I later gave my life to christ and since then worshiping is our lifestyle. We have peace and we are happy to have God in our family. At the moment my daughter is on a Gods mission in Africa working with orphanages. I thank God for her. Life has been tough , but my God is able. I teach my girls to be humble no matter who they become in the future. At my late 30s, im now praying to God to send me that wonderful husband he created for me. He will do it when the right time comes. All i can say is thankyou God for my life, those who judge single parents, i say may the Lord forgive them cos we are not to judge others. If you dont know my pain, you cant understand my praise. To my dear sinle parents, keep waiting for the Lord, just be serious with Him, He is able, merciful, forgiving, kind, wonderful, promising.. He is just awesome. He is worthy my praise.
 
C

chiclet01

Guest
#13
#13
Thank you for this. I'm a soon-to-be single mom of an amazing little 17 month old boy, although truthfully I've been on my own for a long time. I long to be a good mother to him and to raise him up to know God so that he can someday choose to follow and serve Him. It's encouraging to see that I'm not alone and that others have done and are doing this.
 
R

rainacorn

Guest
#14
#14
My parents split up when I was 9, but my dad was never really around anyway (Army).

As a female, I am appreciative of the experience. While it certainly gave me some baggage I've had to work through and let go of, looking back I realized that I never in my life felt the NEED for a man. My mom was good at flying solo. She was a tomboy growing up, so she had all these skills that you would typically turn to a dad to learn. Like she taught me how to change a tire and the oil in my car... she taught me how to use power tools and fix things when they are broken. She was flat broke when we were growing up, so there was a lot of making due going on.

When I set out on my own, I didn't feel helpless. I didn't feel like I needed someone there to take care of me because my mother gave me the confidence that I could take care of myself. I spent 10 years focused not on finding a partner, but becoming the person I wanted to be, in my own right.

Now I am married... not because I need someone to take care of me but because I love him and want to take care of him. I don't need to wait for him to get home to fix _____ or do _____. I am perfectly capable and there's never been a point in my life where I felt like I wasn't.

I am truly thankful to have been raised by a single mom who was willing to be both mother and father. She knew the importance of having both parents and stepped up to fill the roles when the situation called for it.

I know it has made me a better person, but I also think it has made me a good wife and will make me a good mother.
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#15
#15
chiclet01 said:
Thank you for this. I'm a soon-to-be single mom of an amazing little 17 month old boy, although truthfully I've been on my own for a long time. I long to be a good mother to him and to raise him up to know God so that he can someday choose to follow and serve Him. It's encouraging to see that I'm not alone and that others have done and are doing this.
Click to expand...
Our prayers are with you
 
M

mrpower

Guest
#16
#16
I know a man who chose to raise 4 children, ranging from 6-12 at the time of separation. 2 girls and 2 boys.
His wife of 13 years had an affair refused to stop. He took the children, knowing he would have to give up work to raise them. He sold the house and he raised them as a stay at home dad as best he could until the youngest was 16. Then he started working again.
Even through all the pain, he always told his children that their mother loved them, and never said a bad word about her. He continued his walk in the Lord, raising his children as strong little men and women for God.
Today, the oldest is a teacher, and volunteers in multiple capacities in her church The second is a carpenter and a missionary in China with his wife. The third is a nurse, and youth group leader, taking a keen interest in the fringe areas of the youth who are hurting the most. The youngest, a bible college student doing a BA and also works with the young children in sunday school. He thinks he wants to become a teacher.
This man gave everything he had. I saw his pain year after year that never seemed to go away. But still, he remained faithful to the Lord, and still remains a blessing to his children, and now grandchildren.
The Lord has blessed him with a beautiful wife after 20 years of being alone. His family is now much larger and he has 3 beautiful grandchildren that bring him much joy. I don't remember him ever smiling like he does now; and the pain that was there all the time.. It's like it was never there. The Lord is wonderful.
I don't think about the sacrifice he made all those years very much anymore. But I'm still thankful everyday that he's my Dad.
 
J

Jullianna

Guest
#17
#17
^This made me cry big time^ You are truly blessed, Sir.
 
LightningClap0002

LightningClap0002

Senior Member
#18
Feb 10, 2008
3,371
16
38
#18
mrpower said:
I know a man who chose to raise 4 children, ranging from 6-12 at the time of separation. 2 girls and 2 boys.
His wife of 13 years had an affair refused to stop. He took the children, knowing he would have to give up work to raise them. He sold the house and he raised them as a stay at home dad as best he could until the youngest was 16. Then he started working again.
Even through all the pain, he always told his children that their mother loved them, and never said a bad word about her. He continued his walk in the Lord, raising his children as strong little men and women for God.
Today, the oldest is a teacher, and volunteers in multiple capacities in her church The second is a carpenter and a missionary in China with his wife. The third is a nurse, and youth group leader, taking a keen interest in the fringe areas of the youth who are hurting the most. The youngest, a bible college student doing a BA and also works with the young children in sunday school. He thinks he wants to become a teacher.
This man gave everything he had. I saw his pain year after year that never seemed to go away. But still, he remained faithful to the Lord, and still remains a blessing to his children, and now grandchildren.
The Lord has blessed him with a beautiful wife after 20 years of being alone. His family is now much larger and he has 3 beautiful grandchildren that bring him much joy. I don't remember him ever smiling like he does now; and the pain that was there all the time.. It's like it was never there. The Lord is wonderful.
I don't think about the sacrifice he made all those years very much anymore. But I'm still thankful everyday that he's my Dad.
Click to expand...
Wow. Truly amazing.
 
C

Catlynn

Guest
#19
#19
Holy smokes me too! So blessed!
 
G

GreenNnice

Guest
#20
#20
I know you all are just mentioning stories here and they are good stories, I just encourage you to ALWAYS make 'them' God stories for your kids' lives sake(s),, even though your kid(s) have no father on Earth they indeed do have their father in Heaven, who is God :)

Powerful, mrpower, that is awesome, but I guarantee the part where this single dad most succeeded was teaching his children to 'walk' in the ways of the Lord. That made the story for me , especially with raising 4 kids, that kind of powerful thinking of God instilled in those kids will pay great dividends for that man, I know, on Earth, and, alzó that man's reward in Heaven will be great, as in a 'weighty' great, not just the superlative word. :)
---
Catty, God is Love and your children will see that in you and see Him :)

---
BCG, keep raising your kids with God :)
 
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