New Life

About a year after my divorce was final, I moved fifteen miles into a more modest home. It was a really big step overall. I was moving my three young kids to a new neighborhood and new schools. I was moving into a house that needed a fair amount of remodeling. Plus, I hadn’t even […]

Out-Of-The-Blue

When the thought to move my kids to a totally new area of town after my divorce first entered my mind, I dismissed it as nonsense. I was a single parent, and I was up to my eyeballs in the day-to-day reality of raising three kids on my own and running a business. Plus, I […]

No Matter What

One morning I walked into Mass very distracted and anxious. I had many things on my mind: projects due at work, challenges with the kids, financial pressures, dealing with the ex, etc. On top of that, I wasn’t feeling well. It was hard to focus on the Mass. Frankly, I was just going through the […]

Bumper Cars

My five-year-old son squealed in delight as the bumper cars lurched forward. The ride had just begun and all the cars were whirling around in all different directions. It was only seconds before the first car came rudely smashing into us from behind, giving us both a solid jolt. My son had the wheel and […]

Choose

“I’m scared, Daddy!” shouted my son above the din of man-made water rapids and squeals of about five hundred other kids. We were at a water park on a hot summer day, and we were making our way through the “Lazy River.” The problem for my son was that this part of the Lazy River […]

By Design

My son enjoys making bracelets out of brightly colored rubber bands. Creating them requires a special contraption with rows of pegs. He uses a specially designed hook to grab the rubber bands and connect them from one peg to another. It requires a fair amount of dexterity. He is always so proud of his creations, […]

Aim High

The low point in my divorce came on Christmas morning, about two months after my divorce was filed. I actually got a call from my attorney; he wanted to discuss some aspect of my divorce (he didn’t celebrate Christmas since he was Jewish). I remember getting off that call and thinking, “I will be so […]

Key Ingredient

When presented with significant problems, many of us tend to consider only what we can do on our own to solve the problem. That is a very narrow perspective that has a very limiting result. This is what happened with the apostles. Jesus told them to “give them something to eat” and they freaked out. […]

Single-Parenting Challenge: Spending More Time With Your Kids

Seven surefire strategies for having more quality time with your kids after divorce

One of the most common laments I hear from parents after divorce is the loss of quality time with their kids. That is understandable. The time they had with their kids is reduced, whether they are the custodial parent or not. While this challenge is experienced by both parents, it is more acute for the […]