Resources for Single Parents

• www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt200110.html—Sandra Bailey, Montana State University Extension family and human development specialist, in a 2001 short article titled "Building Strong Single-Parent Families," gives several examples of the makeup of modern families, a profile of what successful single families look like and a detailed list of the "secrets of strong families" from a 1985 book by that title by college educators and counselors John Defrain and Nick Stinnett. It also offers a 15-point self-analysis by which you can plot your family's situation and on which you can make notes about ideas to implement to change factors that are unsatisfactory.

• www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/familychart.htm offers a different chart for assessing your family strength and growth areas.

• kidshealth.org—The "Kids" section has an article for preteens titled "Living With a Single Parent" that offers sound advice; the "Teens" section has one titled "Dealing With Divorce," which likewise offers good counsel. The Web site is sponsored by the Nemours Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the health of children.

• Judith Wallerstein, celebrated author on issues involving children of divorce, teamed up with professional writer Sandra Blakeslee to write What About the Kids?, a 2003 book focusing on the specific needs of children of divorce before, during and after the event. The book helpfully catalogs the different emotional and psychological needs of children at various stages of maturation, offering practical advice on how to meet those needs. As with any resource, you may find points that don't apply to you or with which you don't agree. The book is available through any bookseller (ISBN: 0786868651), as well as in many public libraries.

We do not necessarily endorse the entire content of these resources, but when read with a mind-set based on the Bible, you should find them helpful.

We also publish some related material that you would find useful in meeting your family's physical and spiritual needs: Making Life Work, Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension, Managing Your Finances and Successful Parenting. GN