Faith Filled Family Magazine August 2016 | Page 77

in today’s over-sexed-over-tech
society. When you seriously
strive to be the best possible
influence in your child’s life,
then, when they are older, they
will come to YOU for advice,
guidance, etc.

going through the same things I
was. Take a couple hours to go
get your nails done or play golf.
It helps to clear the mind of all
your single-parent-cobwebs and
renews your spirit allowing you
to have a whole new outlook.

One major mistake every single
parent makes: we OVER-COMPENSATE. I was just as guilty.
We as single parents tend to
think we “owe” our kids all sorts
of goodies and extras because
they are lacking a 2nd parent in
the household. Not so. Actually,
by over-compensating, we’re
telling our kids that we really
messed up as parents, and that
they have a “right” to milk our
mistakes forever. DON’T DO IT.
There is a fine line between
over-compensating and permission. You’ll know for sure when
you mix those two up. When
the kids start acting like spoiled
brats, is a pretty good sign. It’s
an easy trap to fall into. Unfortunately, not one many talk about
because most newly single parents are filled with guilt. Take
heart. It’s normal. Just don’t let it
rule your actions or you will find
your kids ruling you.

A child therapist once told me,
“When mom’s happy, the kids
are happy.” He was right. It’s a
tad harder to hide our emotions
as single moms since we no
longer have a significant other
to bounce our troubles off of,
but for the sake of our children,
being divorced means growing a
thicker skin. At least for me. I had
to, especially after learning I had
a brain aneurysm. I didn’t have
the luxury of stewing in that one
for any length of time. I knew in
my heart that I had to make my
kids’ needs priority over my own
and keep forging ahead. I asked
God to give me the strength to
do so. I am so grateful He did.

Last, but not least: make time
for YOU. Being a single parent
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have
time to ourselves. Take the time
to go out with some of your adult
friends, or even other single parents. Back in my early days of
being newly divorced, I joined
a group called, “parents without partners”. We basically got
together once a week and went
dancing. Every week was a fun
new venue. Country, line dancing, square dancing, etc. It was
a safe way to meet new people
as well as other single parents

ing business that began in 1990
with a client base that included
the Gilda Radner & Don Shula
Foundations. She became a
published author at a national
level in January 1995 with Endtime Magazine after writing an
article about her son’s near
fatal car accident titled: “Justin’s
Story.” In 2001, she rewrote the
story and titled it: “A Mother’s
Regret.” It received Best Inspirational Award from Writer’s Digest
that year beating out 19,000
other applicants. Mindy went
on to work for two national magazines, as well as write a newspaper column for The Homeless
Voice based in South Florida.
Mindy’s literary achievements
include writing and editing for:
Disney, Buena Vista Home
Entertainment, Blu-ray, and ABC
Studios.

Ms. Wallace’s inspirational book,
NO TIME TO CRY – One MothAnd finally…LOVE your kids. er’s Will to Survive Against All
You don’t know what tomorrow Odds is available through Tate
may hold. I almost lost both of Publishing and Amazon.com.
mine twice in horrific car accidents. We are not promised
tomorrow. Life is short. Have
faith in the One True God. Have
faith in yourself and in those
wonderful blessings God gave
you to care for.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Let
God handle the big stuff. 
Author Bio
Mindy L. Wallace is an accomplished Christian author, and has
been writing in a professional
capacity for over twenty-five
years. Her literary background
includes owning and operating
a successful desktop publish-