Search Results for: blog the pregnant single parent

Single-Parenting vs. Adoption

Single parenting can come about in a number of ways. Some of us were thrust into it unwillingly as a result of a divorce, others are faced with a difficult decision; single parent or place. I have been on both ends of the single parenting spectrum. I was just out of high school and faced with the most difficult decision of my life. My boyfriend and I had just broken up less than 24 hours before I found myself pregnant. A good friend of mine found herself in a similar situation not long after I did. One of us chose … Continue reading →

Deciding to Foster Parent, Part 2

We went through PRIDE training with C.H.I.L.D, Congregations Helping In Love and Devotion. C.H.I.L.D. is a faith-based arm of CPS, and was over a single weekend instead of many weeks. Even though there were many at the informational meeting, there were few at the actual PRIDE training. After PRIDE training we still had to get certified in CPR and water safety. We did both and passed the TB test. Just when we thought our training was over, licensing would be happening soon, and a placement was near, we learned that another training had been added. We had to go through … Continue reading →

When Parents Succeed

When death is knocking at your door, and you’re forced to review your life, what will you consider your single most important success? I know that I will be able to embrace dying much more, provided my daughter has grown up to be a loving, caring, selfless individual. Society is quick to point its collective finger at parents whose children turn into murderers, rapists and thieves, and in some cases, lack of parental supervision is to blame for children who grow up to be criminals. But what about all the kids, who from a very young age, show signs of … Continue reading →

New Single Parents Blogger

Screaming kids, dishes piled high in the sink, past-due bills, and one person who is solely responsible for it all. Such is the life as a single parent, a life I am quite experienced with. My name is Jacky Gamble, and I am the newest blogger to the Single Parents blog. I first became a single parent at the age of 20, when my daughter was just 6 months old. Her father was not in the picture and failed to pay any child support. I was left to raise and support her on my own. When she was 6 years … Continue reading →

Parents Play a Pivotal Role in Reducing Teen Pregnancy

In the midst of a debate over the best way to lower teen pregnancy rates, whether it is through teaching abstinence or informing teens about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and methods of birth control, the story of an eleven-year-old girl giving birth to a baby, to me screams, “neither is working!” The fact is, teachers can preach and teach until they are blue in the face, but until parents take initiative in teaching their own children about sex, teen pregnancy is not going anywhere. Teens are constantly being bombarded with images of teen sexuality in television, movies, books … Continue reading →

A Single Mother’s Struggle

For most of my life, I didn’t think I would be a parent. I lived the single life to the best of my ability during my twenties. I was 28 years old when I found out that I was pregnant. I wasn’t married to my son’s father and knew that we would not build a life together. I made the decision to become a single mother. I decided that from the moment my son was born, I would base all of my decisions on what was best for my child. I have done that for the past few years. Everything … Continue reading →

Being a Single Mom without Child Support

I know that being a single parent is hard for both moms and dads who go at it alone. Add to that the lack of child support and it seems to be a losing battle. I am sure there are single parents out there who are very successful and are able to care for their children without financial concern. I wish I were one of them. I chose not to pursue child support because I knew that with child support would be visitation. I didn’t want the father of my child to have visitation. I made the financial sacrifice in … Continue reading →

The Real Single Moms

This docu-series on single moms looks into the lives of 15 women who are all single moms. Each one of them tales of her story, her successes, her heartbreaks. They could be any one of us, all struggling to bring up their children fueled by pure love. There is the single mom, Elizabeth who became pregnant at the age of 16. There is Ava, the mom of three boys from the product of two marriages that both ended in divorce. These are just two of the 15 moms on this pic.tv docu-series that reveal their private lives and air their … Continue reading →

Mother of Octuplets Raises Questions About Parental Responsibility

Will it be Oprah, Diane Sawyer, or Barbara Walters? According to news reports, Nadya Suleman, the California woman who gave birth to eight babies last week, is currently deciding which big name TV interviewer she’ll sit down and chat with. Meanwhile, another report claims that the 33-year-old single mother of 14 is seeking $2 million from commercial sponsorship (she reportedly wants to hook up with Pampers) and other media interviews to help defray the cost of raising her eight babies and the other six children (all under the age of eight) that she already has. No doubt Nadya is going … Continue reading →

Parents and Christmas Firsts

Like it or not the holidays make people very nostalgic. It’s hard for some parents not to think of their son or daughter’s first Christmas when hanging stockings or trimming the tree. Then, there’s the tidal wave of memory triggers that come to us via the media. For example, if I see that TV commercial about the mom being “forced” to buy her daughter a new cellphone plan because “it’s the first Christmas that she won’t be home,” I’m going to hurl. Do you remember the first Christmas your child didn’t spend with you? I can’t imagine it’s a very … Continue reading →