Single Parenting for Dummies - 9780764517662

Welcome to the wild, wonderful world of single parenting—one of the toughest, most thankless jobs in Universe. The good news is that you're not alone. Over the last decade the ranks of single parents has swelled to a whopping ten million in the United States alone, forcing business and government to accommodate more of your needs. Also, society's perceptions of single parents have changed. It's now perfectly acceptable, even admirable to be a single mom or dad. Still, unless you're independently wealthy and have nothing to do but work at being a perfect parent, you can use all the help you can get in making single parenting work for you and your kids.

Single Parenting For Dummies to the rescue! Whether you're already a single parent or soon to become one, this warm, friendly guide will be a source of encouragement and ideas. Packed with proven solutions to most of the challenges single parents face, it show you how to:

• Balance work and family life
• Develop strong relationships with your kids
• Help kids adjust to the trauma of divorce
• Manage your time—and money
• Develop a successful co-parenting plan
• Deal with dating and remarriage
• Raise happy, healthy well-adjusted kids
• Know when to seek professional help and how to find it

Drawing upon their own experiences and expertise and the experiences of single parents whose stories they share throughout the book, psychotherapist Marion Peterson and bestselling self-help author Diane Warner, cover all the bases, including:

• Adjusting to single parent status
• Managing your time and sharing resources with other single parents
• Avoiding the five biggest single parent money mistakes
• Keeping close to your kids and considering their point of view
• Developing a co-parenting plan and making sure all parties stick to it
• Dealing peacefully with stepparents and former in-laws
• Keeping your cool when resolving parenting problems
• Staying physically and psychologically fit

Yes, you can raise happy, healthy well-adjusted kids while keeping your sanity and your health in tact, and now Single Parenting For Dummies shows you how.