{"id":306919,"date":"2021-06-29T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/10-best-decisions-for-single-moms\/"},"modified":"2021-06-29T07:00:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T11:00:05","slug":"10-best-decisions-for-single-moms","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/10-best-decisions-for-single-moms\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Best Decisions For Single Moms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>No matter what difficulties a single mom might face, PeggySue Wells and Pam Farrel say it can be a beautiful story of God&#8217;s grace.<br \/>\nShow Notes and Resources<\/p>\n<p> \tFor more resources for single moms, visit https:\/\/singlemomcircle.com<br \/>\n \tGet the book, The 10 Best Decisions a Single Mom Can Make<br \/>\nhttps:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/p-6100-the-10-best-decisions-a-single-mom-can-make.aspx<br \/>\n \tEnter for a chance to win a spot on our cruise, and get &#8220;The Love You Better Plan: 30 Days to a More Connected Relationship&#8221; download free! https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/loveyoubetter\/<br \/>\n \tFind resources from this podcast at https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/Products.aspx?categoryid=130.<br \/>\n \tCheck out all that&#8217;s available on the FamilyLife Podcast Network.\u00a0 https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/familylife-podcast-network\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No matter what difficulties a single mom might face, PeggySue Wells and Pam Farrel say it can be a beautiful story of God&#8217;s grace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2021-06-29.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:33:05","filesize":"30.3M","filesize_raw":"31768945","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2853,2838],"tags":[6983,5049,6984],"podcast_series":[8455],"cwp_profile":[9717,9716],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-306919","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-frazzled-family","category-mothers","tag-single-moms","tag-single-parenting","tag-single-parent-homes","podcast_series-the-10-best-decisions-a-single-mom-can-make","cwp_profile-pam-farrel","cwp_profile-peggysue-wells","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/306919\/10-best-decisions-for-single-moms","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/306919\/10-best-decisions-for-single-moms","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"bnCBXdChAR\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/10-best-decisions-for-single-moms\/\">10 Best Decisions For Single Moms<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/10-best-decisions-for-single-moms\/embed\/#?secret=bnCBXdChAR\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;10 Best Decisions For Single Moms&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"bnCBXdChAR\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"No matter what difficulties a single mom might face, PeggySue Wells and Pam Farrel say it can be a beautiful story of God's grace.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2021-06-29.pdf","transcript_content":"<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I\u2019m going to give you two words, and I want you to respond to it. Are you ready?<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Now I\u2019m ready!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Okay: \u2018Single mom.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> First thought is: committed, loving, best mom in the world: my mom!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Welcome to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I\u2019m Ann Wilson.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And I\u2019m Dave Wilson, and you can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com or on our FamilyLife<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00ae<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> app.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I did not realize I was being raised by a single mom until I was a teenager; you know, it didn\u2019t hit me. I mean, I missed my dad; I missed that part of my life, but it didn\u2019t hit me: \u201cShe is doing <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">all <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of this!\u201d\u2014you know. So when I hear \u201csingle mom,\u201d there are all kinds of words.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We get to talk about that today; we get to put some words around it.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And I\u2019m excited; because I feel like, a lot of times, we don\u2019t address single moms enough. I think that they feel a little lost and forgotten. And I know, with your mom, I don\u2019t know how she did it! It\u2019s remarkable!\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But we\u2019re excited today, because we are going to talk about this.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; and I would even say, as we start: \u201cIf you know a single mom, write her a note; pray for her; send her a gift right now.\u201d I mean, I know my mom felt alone a lot.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Okay, enough about me and enough about my mom.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We get to talk about a book today, which has a great title: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 10 Best Decisions a Single Mom Can Make. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we\u2019ve got two of the most prolific authors\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes!<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014I think I\u2019ve ever met in my life.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014Pam Farrel and PeggySue Wells. First, welcome to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Thanks. It\u2019s great to be at FamilyLife! We raised our kids listening to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">didn\u2019t we?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That\u2019s exactly what I said when I pulled into the parking lot: \u201cI listened to this, raising my kids!\u201d It was such good, good guidance.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Ah, that\u2019s good to hear!<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Did you really? Where did you listen?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I really did; on the radio in California.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Okay, mine goes even further back. Bill and I\/we were dating, and I was deciding whether to marry Bill. I sat under Dennis Rainey\u2019s teaching on marriage\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes!<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014at a Cru<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00ae<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> conference. I always credit FamilyLife with giving us a great marriage, you know, 42 years later.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u201442 years!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So you were on Cru staff?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We were not! We were <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">students<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, actually.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh! That\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">great<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And then you write, you know, a book I think a lot of us have read\u2014I know\/what?\u2014millions have read?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Well, 400\/500,000; something like that, yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Really.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Incredible.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes, that\u2019s just a few people\u2014[Laughter]\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Men Are Like Waffles<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Women Are Like Spaghetti<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">;<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and then, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Red Hot Monogamy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes; that\u2019s a fun one.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You have written over 50 books; right?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That\u2019s incredible!<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes, that\u2019s crazy! We\u2019ve written two; we think we\u2019re <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">dying<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> just to get two out.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The first is the hardest and the most exciting, though. So you have accomplished that great hurdle.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But PeggySue is sitting here, and you\u2019re no light weight!\u201430 books\u2014really?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So how did you two get together and decide: \u201cLet\u2019s write a book together\u201d?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Okay, PeggySue tells it best.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh, really?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Here\u2019s the thing: I was working as producer for a radio station up in Fort Wayne\u2014WBCL\u2014and\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Hoosiers! By the way, Hoosiers!<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly! [Laughter]<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You know, I\u2019m a Hoosier as well, you know, going to college there.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Ball State?\u2014that\u2019s where you went?<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">great<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Ball State; the Harvard of the Midwest. [Laughter] Okay, go ahead!<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Rah, rah!<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As I was there, I was already familiar with Pam Farrel and Bill Farrel\/with their books. I\u2019d read them as I was married, and as I was raising my kids, and what-not. As a producer, I would book different authors. She was releasing books pretty regularly, and so they would come across my desk. She was <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">always<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">great <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">interview. There were a couple of times, where I would even have, \u201cOkay, we\u2019ve got this empty place,\u201d\u2014because, you know, somebody couldn\u2019t come at the last minute\u2014I would call Pam. \u201cPam, can you\u2026\u201d \u201cOh, yes!\u201d I mean, she was just ready all of the time. Every interview was great! Our listeners loved her. She would do a lot of Q&amp;A afterward.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She wrote this book about parenting, and it had all these <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">great<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> tips about parenting; I got a pile of these books. I\u2019m handing them out to the lady who does my hair; and I\u2019m just like, \u201cThis is such a good book! Everybody needs it!\u201d<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then, you did the one about singles, you know? Then, I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, wait!\u201d You know, we\u2019ve got parenting; we\u2019ve got singles, and I happen to be a single mom. I kind of fought writing about it, because you get really vulnerable about it; and I didn\u2019t want to be known as that person.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, somebody said, \u201cWell, how long?\u201d I said, \u201cWell, like 20 years I\u2019ve been a single mom.\u201d They said, \u201cWell, you have a lot of experience, so can you share <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u201d I was like, \u201cYes, I can do that.\u201d I didn\u2019t want to do it by myself, so I went to Pam immediately for a couple of reasons; she was perfect for it! One is she\u2019s super-wise; she knows about parenting; she knows about that relationship with the Lord that it\u2019s all about; Pam was raised by a single mom.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right! My parents\u2019 marriage fractured; and so I was raised, the end of my growing up years, by my awesome single mom, whom I call my hero. I definitely watched my siblings being raised, most of their childhood, by my single mom, whom I adore, Afton.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PeggySue and I\/it was funny!\u2014like when I would be on the radio for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10 Best Decisions <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Every<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">]<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Parent Can Make<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014we would have these sidebar conversations for like\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">30 minutes, just about single moms and the need to care for them and what churches could do\u2014because my husband was a pastor, and I was a director of women\u2019s ministry. Our hearts were bonded, probably, a decade before the opportunity came up to write <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10 Best Decisions a Single Mom Can Make.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And she asked me a really interesting question at one point; she was like, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you write with another single mom?\u201d And I said, \u201cBecause you came from that.\u201d What Pam shows is: \u201cThis is an experience; it\u2019s not your <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">identity<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Amen.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Because you either are a single mom, or because you are raised by a single mom, that is just an experience that feeds into who you are and into the tapestry of your life; but it\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">an identity. It\u2019s not a stamp, like, \u201cOh, you\u2019re never going to outgrow this.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, [she] and Bill are traveling the world, helping people have really strong marriages; so I\u2019m like, \u201cYou\u2019re the one I want!\u201d I wouldn\u2019t let her go; she got on board. The information that she put into this book is so powerful, for the two of us writing together, because she has such great experience. I\u2019ve had people pick up this book; and they say, \u201cThere\u2019s such great parenting stuff in here!\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right, right!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So it\u2019s not just a single-parent book?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No! I\u2019ve had a lot of people come back and say, \u201cWe love it just for the parenting advice!\u201d What we did was\u2014we took from both of us\u2014because our kids are grown now\u2014everything that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">worked<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">! [Laughter]<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That\u2019s right!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh, that\u2019s good.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Only the stuff that worked! And then, we brought in some sidebar sisters\/other people who have walked that path. We took everything that was the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">best <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">information that we can give you for that single mom and her family to be successful, and that\u2019s what we poured into the book.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Well, PeggySue, walk us through your past; because you have seven kids.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014just seven. [Laughter]<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Just\/only <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">seven<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That\u2019s all you have.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Just seven, yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Tell us about that. Becoming a single mom had to be an experience that was not easy.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It wasn\u2019t what I wanted. You know, you have that script in your head: \u201cThis is how my life\u2019s going to go...\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> My parents split up when I was young; so I had really thought, \u201cI\u2019m going to do this differently. I\u2019m going to do it\/you know, I\u2019m going to fix whatever problems; I\u2019m going to do this right.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then, 20 years into it\u2014the youngest was not 2; she was just a year old\u2014and their dad chose <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">out<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. You know, we make choices; we choose whether we stay or go. So then, it was like, \u201cOkay.\u201d In one evening, I started that journey as a single mom. If I could go back and do it over again\u2014because I made <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">so many <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">slow changes that should have been done much faster\u2014the shame and the humiliation was kind of the hardest part to deal with.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I kind of wanted to introduce you to the single mom today, if that\u2019s okay?<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes!<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But I\u2019d like to tell you who she is. Here\u2019s who the single mom is today, and this is who we wrote for:<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One in four homes is single-mom led. Fifty percent of kids are expected to live in a single-parent home before age eighteen. Three-quarters of single moms have full-time careers. Less than half receive government assistance, and most of those only do until they can support their family on their own. Under half of them get any type of child support; those that do, get about $6,000 per year.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forty percent of single moms are over forty. Eighty-five percent of them don\u2019t go to church. They\u2019re unchurched because they feel judged, and they feel not welcome at the church. Most feel alone, isolated, and judged\u2014but they\u2019re not alone\u2014because single moms\/there are 15 million solo moms raising 22 million kids.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And she wishes that the cleaning fairy would stop in once a week, [Laughter] leave everything sparkling, with something delicious simmering in the oven.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s why we wanted to write this book, too\u2014to say, \u201cWe\u2019ve got some ideas and some tips, so that we can help!\u201d\u2014so that, in all of the devastation that\u2019s going on, we can still raise some really solid kids, and some kids that are going to be able to go out there and make some really good decisions\u2014and some moms, who want to come alongside them and help them make those decisions.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the majority of the moms, [who] are single moms, it\u2019s because of a separation or a divorce; so they didn\u2019t start out to raise a child by themselves. There\u2019s going to be sort of this crisis\/this trauma that hits. There\u2019s a sort of betrayal. It\u2019s not good news when you wind up with this relationship splitting; and so, when there\u2019s that break there, we enter into a trauma situation. The front part of our brain, which is the thinking part of our brain, God designed it that we go offline; it goes back to the part that\u2019s the fight, flight, or freeze.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most of these moms\/we stay there; we look at single moms around us, and we\u2019re like, \u201cWhat is she thinking?!\u201d I\u2019m sure people looked at me! I would look at myself in the mirror and say, \u201cWhat am I thinking?!\u201d Sometimes, you watch kids in that setting; and you are like, \u201cWhat are they thinking?!\u201d\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">they\u2019re not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They\u2019re <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">thinking, because we\u2019re in this trauma situation; so we\u2019re not able to think and make good decisions when we most need to.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Are they just surviving?\u2014I mean, they\u2019re just getting through?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We are reacting, not responding.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh, that\u2019s good.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And then, because of the setting\u2014you know, for some people, that split or that shift into being a single mom will be\u2014you know, we have a couple of odd years; and then we kind of get into the groove, and we move along.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With other people, it seems like the trauma and the upset\u2014and you know, the crisis\u2014goes on, and on, and on with every phone call; with every visit; with \u201cYou know, I have to get a new job\u201d; \u201cDo we have to relocate?\u201d \u201cDo we have to do visitations?\u201d \u201cDo we have to go to court?\u201d; \u201cDo we have to\u2026\u201d\u2014there are all these things that come. With each one of them that comes, that thinking part of your brain is not able to come online; you\u2019re still back here in the fight, flight, or freeze. That\u2019s where the moms and these kids are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">living.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s why, when Pam and I put the book together, we were like, \u201cWe get this. We know this is where you are, so we\u2019re going to help you make the next <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">right <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">decision\/do the next <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">right <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">thing until, finally, that thinking part comes back online\u201d; and then you\u2019ll see those moms fly.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Pam, do you remember?\u2014you know, watching your mom sort of experience what PeggySue\u2019s saying.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh, yes!<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Because when I hear that, I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, yes; that\u2019s what my mom went through.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I mean, I didn\u2019t have words for it then; but now, as you say it, I\u2019m like, \u201cI was the kid watching this.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You\u2019ll see\u2014I mean, I\u2019m tearing up, even now, as I\u2019m thinking about the trauma my mom went through, if you have heard any of my story through any of those other books.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014those other 50 books?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I know! I\u2019m a first-born daughter\u2014alcoholic dad\/severe rage issues\u2014I always thought that our family would make the headlines; a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ton <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of domestic violence in the home that I grew up in. But my mom\/she would put her Super Woman cape on and try to stand between us and the violence\u2014that\u2019s where she lived\u2014is in that state of trauma.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, the upside is my dad\u2019s job kept him traveling five days a week; so it was only two days a week\u2014on the weekends\u2014that were like crazy, chaos, survival mode. That\u2019s how we survived for 17 years of the marriage. I was a freshman in college when my parents\u2019 marriage finally frayed apart.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She was living in a beautiful gated community, very wealthy. My dad was very successful at work, despite the fact that he was living out of the bottle and drinking all of the time. But he was so brilliant at what he did, he was able to function until he got home at night; and then the violence would appear.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I got this phone call from my sister, begging me to come home; because she had left in the morning for school, and when she came home, my mom was still in her pajamas at the end of the day. She was sitting in the shower, cleaning the grout with a toothbrush; and she had been there all day. [Groaning] And my sister was like, \u201cSomething\u2019s wrong with mom. I think that her heart and her mind have broken.\u201d I said, \u201cI\u2019ll be right there; I\u2019ll be right there.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Pam, let me ask you: \u201cAt any point, were you kids saying, \u2018Mom! You need to get out. You need to get safe\u2019?\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; in fact, for probably a decade, we were saying, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Mom;\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014\u201cif you need to leave, it\u2019s okay.\u201d She just had this core value of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">wanting<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the marriage to work.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; probably for you kids.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> She did. She knew that, even if it were chaotic, that there was always this hope that dad would go to AA\/that dad would go to church with us\u2014because the four of us went to church\u2014my mom and the three siblings\/we all went to church. It was because my mom\u2019s best friend, Kathy, saw the chaos that we were living in, when I was about six or seven years old, and she invited us to come to church.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There, I met loving people like you all\u2014the Wilsons\u2014and I saw what love looked like. As a little girl, I said, \u201cI want to know the Author of love, Jesus.\u201d I made a decision for Christ when I was little, and I began reading the Bible. God fortified my life! He gave me hope and joy in the midst of chaos. My mom came to Christ right after that\/within that same year through being the craft lady at Vacation Bible School\u2014\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Ohh!<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014and hearing the Jesus stories through a child\u2019s eyes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Let me pause just for a second.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Because I\u2019m thinking of all of us, who are scared to invite our neighbors to church, or to share the gospel\u2014or like, \u201cOh, will they be offended?\u201d\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that\u2019s<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> what brought you guys <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">life<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">!\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly! Exactly.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014on this planet and in eternity.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It changed the course of our family tree!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; wow. So you give your life to Christ; this is beginning to transform your life\/your mom\u2019s life\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014but she\u2019s in that bathroom. Take us back to the grout.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; I had come home from college. My mom and my sister\/they went to the doctor. This godly doctor said to my mom:\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alright; you have a few choices here:\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can stay; and eventually, your husband may kill you.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can stay; and you\u2019ll fracture, and you might kill him.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can stay; and maybe one of your kids will get killed, and you won\u2019t be able to live with that; or your husband wouldn\u2019t be able to live with that.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Or you can leave and get help with the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">hope <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that that will wake your husband up enough that he might reach out and get help, too.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And when mom laid out all of those things in front of us, we said, \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve been trying to say, Mom.\u201d And my grandfather said, \u201cCome home, Afton. Bring the kids and come <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">home.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d And so that\u2019s what we did; so she went back to a safe place.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And that\u2019s a lot of what we encourage women: \u201cIf your life is in a hard spot, go back to the places, and the people, and the Bible verses that you know that you know that you know that you last heard the Word of God; because those are the safe places.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My grandparents then stepped in. My grandfather stepped in to be a great role model of what a dad looks like\u2014a healthy dad\u2014to help finish raising my siblings. That\u2019s the year I also met Bill, and we fell in love. The first time my parents saw each other [since the divorce] was at my wedding!<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Whoa!<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> [Sarcastically] That was fun! [Laughter]<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Her story is very much like yours, Dave.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; I mean, it\u2019s crazy how your story is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">so<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> similar\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014wow; similar<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014to mine. I mean, I won\u2019t get into the details\u2014but the same thing\u2014my mom went to her parents\u2014\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014from New Jersey to Ohio.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And PeggySue, you went through it as the mom; we were both the children.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But how do you dig out of that trauma? How does a single parent get their feet back? I know there\u2019s a different timeline for everybody. I watched my mom. What would you<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">say?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> One of the things is to get a circle around you that is trustworthy and is strong. That is a hard thing to do; because when my children and I found ourselves by ourselves, the first thing that my kids said to me was, \u201cCan we not tell anyone?\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh! So they felt that shame as well.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They were totally ashamed! And my dad left when I was a kid. The thing that I internalized\u2014you know, we take facts, and we tell ourselves a story\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014the story I told myself about that was that I wasn\u2019t valuable enough for him to make the effort to stay together to be a family\/to stay, and be my dad, and raise me. I already had that: \u201cI\u2019m not valuable.\u201d I took that same story and, then, applied it when my husband left. I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, I\u2019m not valuable enough for him to want to hang out and make this thing work either.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think that\u2019s part of what played into my children; because they were like, \u201cWe are embarrassed!\u201d You know, things looked pretty okay from the outside; but we\u2019re embarrassed that we\u2019re this family that society calls a broken home. Let\u2019s be quite honest; the church hasn\u2019t known what to do\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014with single-mom families.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They\u2019ve not felt really welcome there.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was six months before my children, one at a time, found somebody in their circle that they felt comfortable enough to say\u2014because we had also hoped, you know, he\u2019d get himself together and come back!\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Sure.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014and then, maybe, a lot of people wouldn\u2019t have to know; you know? That humiliation thing\/that shame thing was pretty big in our circle.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Were you going to church at the time?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I was.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Okay.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I completely was.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So you found your circle of people there?<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Nope! [Laughter]<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Oh! Interesting.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No; in fact, that was one of the places that we felt, probably, we didn\u2019t want them to know. It wasn\u2019t received really well.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Ohh!<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I had one close friend in town, and then I had a best friend out in California; so you know, across the nation. Those were my two supports\u2014they knew, and I could call them and talk to them\u2014and they would help walk me through some things. And then, like I said, I let my kids, one at a time, choose someone. Most of them chose a teacher. I had kids, you know, from college on down; and they would choose somebody like that\u2014kind of a mentor in their life\u2014that they told.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But going back\/if I could go back and do things again, I would say, \u201cIf the church that I am in\u2014or that you are in\u2014isn\u2019t a place where you feel like you can be vulnerable, and be open, and get that support, I would say, \u2018Please look around in your community and find that somewhere.\u2019\u201d Because that just might not be the chosen place for you to be right now. There <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a good church somewhere, who\u2019s going to understand you, and who is going to embrace you, and who will be that place like what Pam had when she was young, where: \u201cThis is what healthy family looks like!\u201d \u201cThis is what healthy relationships look like,\u201d and \u201cOh, yeah! We all need a Savior; nobody\u2019s life is perfect. You can be <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">perfect here.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Exactly.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I do remember, maybe a decade ago or so\u2014I\u2019ve been pastoring for 30 years; started the church\/so founder, with another couple\u2014<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> And Dave and I had been doing a lot of marriage series.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; right.<\/span>\n\n<b>Ann:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So often, we would have singles come up to us and say, \u201cWe feel so left out; we\u2019re never addressed.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes; I remember I felt led to, on the stage, say to the congregation: \u201cI apologize; I have let you down. If you\u2019ve felt like this church is a church, where single parents, blended families, divorced\u2014whatever\u201d\u2014I don\u2019t even use the word, \u201cbroken,\u201d\u2014\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Right!<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014but I had\u2014and I felt like I needed to start this sermon, which was a day on blended families, and say, \u201cI\u2019m sorry if you have ever felt that in this community; it\u2019s on me\/it\u2019s on us. We\u2019re going to change that!\u201d I couldn\u2019t <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">believe <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the line of people that basically said, \u201cThank you for apologizing. Yes, we have felt that.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I know I <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">felt<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> it, growing up in a single-parent home at the church! I would lay in bed at night and go, \u201cWhy me?\u201d\u2014you know\u2014\u201cWhy us?\u201d It was the same narrative I had in my head: \u201cDad didn\u2019t love me enough; he would have stayed if he did.\u201d And I know many single parents, listening right now, feel that; right?<\/span>\n\n<b>Pam:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>PeggySue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Yes.<\/span>\n\n<b>Dave:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They feel unloved. I just want to say: \u201cYou are loved!\u201d and \u201cI hope somebody sees you\u201d; but we see you.<\/span>\n\n<b>Bob:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Our mission at FamilyLife is to see every home become a godly home. We recognize that every home has its challenges; every home is broken in some way. No matter your circumstances\/no matter what you\u2019re going through, FamilyLife exists to help point you toward healing and hope for your marriage and for your family.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dave and Ann Wilson have been talking today with Pam Farrel and PeggySue Wells about single parenting and the challenges that come with single parenting. I\u2019m wondering if, during this conversation, perhaps God has brought to mind for you someone you know who\u2019s a single parent, whom you could reach out to and say, \u201cI see you. I understand what you\u2019re going through. I want to be here to help you.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In fact, maybe give them a copy of the book that Pam and PeggySue have written, called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 10 Best Decisions a Single Mom Can Make: A Biblical Guide for Navigating Family Life on Your Own. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019d like to give you a copy of the book so you can pass it on to someone else. We\u2019re making the book available this week to any <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">listener who would reach out to help support the ministry of FamilyLife\/help us reach more people, more often, with practical biblical help and hope for their marriages and their families.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you make a donation today, you can request a copy of the book, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 10 Best Decisions a Single Mom Can Make. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019ll send it to you as your thank-you gift for your support. Donate online at FamilyLifeToday.com, or you can call to donate at 1-800-358-6329; that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, I want to remind you we have just a couple of days left for you to be signed up to maybe be our guests on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Love Like You Mean It<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00ae<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> marriage cruise in February of 2022. We are excited that the cruise is happening again next February. We have a limited number of cabins still available; we\u2019re giving one of those cabins to a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">listener. Here\u2019s what you have to do to be eligible to be entered in the drawing for the cabin: go to FamilyLifeToday.com and download the \u201cLove You Better\u201d kit. This is a project our team has put together: a 30-day journey to help all of us do a better job of loving one another in marriage. It\u2019s a free download; there\u2019s no purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. All of that legal stuff\u2019s on our website; you\u2019ll find it there.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you download the \u201cLove You Better\u201d kit, you\u2019re automatically entered in the drawing for the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Love Like You Mean It<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> marriage cruise. All the details are available on our website, at FamilyLifeToday.com, so head there and check it out.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And I hope you\u2019ll join us, again, tomorrow when we\u2019re going to hear from PeggySue Wells and Pam Farrel about how important it is for single moms to have the right mindset as they approach this very challenging task of raising kids on your own. That\u2019s what\u2019s on tap tomorrow; I hope you can be with us for that.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll see you, again, tomorrow for another edition of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\n\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FamilyLife Today<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a production of FamilyLife; a Cru<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00ae <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ministry.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Helping you pursue the relationships that matter most.<\/span>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">donating today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to help defray the costs?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Copyright <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 2021 FamilyLife. 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