I vividly remember telling my brother, who was accompanying me to an important custody hearing, that I was willing to do “whatever it takes” to maintain contact with my children should the judge not rule in my favor. And I meant it. I was even willing to quit my very well-paying job and take a teaching position […]
The list was quite long. It was my friend Sam’s list of all the things he wanted to make sure he got done during the week. He was beginning to panic as he thought about getting everything done while juggling work, parenting, and life commitments. Being a single-parent meant he had to do much of […]
“Hi Mr. Frese, this is your neighbor, Joan, from up the street. I have your daughter with me. Don’t worry, she is fine. I just happened to be walking by the bus stop and saw her get off the bus by herself. I figured you would not want her home alone.” My jaw dropped. I […]
“Ouch!”, my three-year-old daughter cried as I tried to dig the back of her pierced earring out of her earlobe. Evidently, the earrings had been left in her earlobes for too long allowing the backs to close too tightly. While I was keeping calm for her sake, inside I was filled with anxiety. I felt […]
As a kid, I used to go fishing and swimming at a lake near our house during the summer. At night, the lights on the docks would flicker on automatically when it became dark. As if on cue, a swarm of bugs would appear and hover around the dock, attracted by the light. Love is […]
“I just want you to know how impressed I am with how well the girls are doing,” my former father-in-law said sincerely as he was handing me their luggage. I had met at a halfway point to pick the girls up from a weekend spent with their grandparents. I must admit that I was surprised […]
When my divorce was final, my kids were all under the age of ten, with my youngest going into kindergarten. I was now a single parent responsible for raising these little kids, while trying to piece my life back together, and running a demanding business. Life was stressful, to say the least. Since my kids […]
My greatest lament during my divorce was the break up of my family. I knew in my heart that what was best for my kids was for them to be raised in an intact family by both parents. Because of the divorce, that dream was crushed. I felt so badly for my kids. I felt like […]
“You’re kidding, right?!” my neighbor said, frustration filling his voice. “My wife and I have a hard enough time keeping track of two kids, and, yet, you have it all together taking care of three kids by yourself. I don’t know how you do it.” I had just walked up with my kids to their […]
“Why Daddy? Why did you and Mommy get a divorce?” was the question that hung in the air, asked with a voice that was filled with pain and confusion. I looked down to see my eight-year-old daughter’s tear-filled eyes looking up at me. My heart was tied in a knot, and I was speechless. When […]