Let me start with a clarification: This post is neither a criticism of single parents, nor a condemnation of their status as "single." I know single parents love their children just the same as married parents do, and that many of them make immeasurable sacrifices for their children's futures. Rather, this post is meant to explore the experience of children in single-parent families, and the realities that single parents face. It's probably one of my most academic blog posts to date, but I hope you'll bear with me, because I think it's worth it!Often this conversation is focused on the reasons that people with children are single. We turn it into a moral conversation. While there may well be value in that discussion, I'm not sure we spend enough time understanding the practical impact of this reality – regardless of how it came to be. And I am sure we don't spend enough time as a society discussing what we can do to help.
Researchers have proposed a number of theories for why chil...
"Salt is good, but if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made to taste salty again? It is no longer good for the soil or even for the manure pile. People simply throw it out. If you have ears, pay attention!" Luke 14:34-35 (CEV).
