Books about Single Parents and Dating

Sex and the Single Parent: A Guide for Parents Who Find Themselves Back in the Dating Game
by Meg F. Schneider, Martine J. Byer

   I am a devoted parent. I do everything for my kids and put them first. I know that it has to be that way because they're young and I'm the one they have to look to and rely on. But my own loneliness has just made me sink and feel so low. This book helped me understand that my kids can't meet and make up for my adult needs for understanding and companionship. That's a whole different world. I feel relieved hearing other single parent's stories about putting your kids ahead of you but still having to have a world of friends including male friends. I have begun slowly to date. Some of the stories in the book are a hoot and I have had a few corkers. I felt supported by the sharing in this book.

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The Courage to Love Again: Creating Happy, Healthy Relationships After Divorce
by Sheila Ellison

   Sheila Ellison opens up again in the follow-up book to "Courage to Be a Single Mother," this time sharing wisdom from her experience in beginning a new relationship after divorce. Through her own remarriage and creating a blended family, Ellison expertly guides the reader into learning how to trust and learning how to CREATE the relationship you want -- taking charge of your own happiness, so to speak. A great book, I'd recommend it to anyone who is finding themselves starting over.

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Rebuilding: When Your Relationship Ends (3rd Edition)
by Bruce Fisher, Robert E. Alberti, Virginia M. Satir

   This book is a very helpful tool for anyone who is experiencing the pain and emotional turmoil of a break-up, whether you were married or not, whether you were the "Dumper" or "Dumpee." I especially liked the comparison of climbing the mountain, taking each level and learning those lessons at each level - and that sometimes you would come to an understanding at one level and as you moved up to the next, you may realize there was still more to learn "back there" where you had just left, at a lower level of the mountain. But the book ALLOWS you to understand that these feelings are a process, that there is no easy or orderly way to experience them, and that it's perfectly OK to step up the mountain and then back down a couple of steps, up again, down again - until you come to understand it all and allow yourself to experience that understanding. Each step helps you to deal with the last, and you don't have to "finish" in one area before you move onto the next. You learn in your own way and your own time, yet the words are always there to comfort, encourage and teach you. This book put it all in perspective for me, gave me permission to feel pain and confusion, and helped me through each phase of my struggle, reminding me of my worth and teaching me the most important lesson of all - which is to take care of and value myself. I recommend it highly.

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Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life, Revised Edition
by Abigail Trafford

  I really recommend this book. I am in the middle of getting a divorce after 13 years of marriage. Over the past four months, I have been focusing on keeping things on an even keel for my kids. This book helped me to start focusing on myself. I now have an understanding of the emotional process involved in divorcing my spouse. I also know what I need to focus on to come out of this situation as a stronger, wiser person. Frankly, I think anyone who is in a relationship, about to get married or thinking about getting out of a marriage should read this book. It opened my eyes. I am sure that I will be reading it again and again.

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