Insurance for Single Mothers

For many single mothers health insurance is a luxury they just can’t afford. Although many are offered medical benefits through their place of employment, most can’t afford the premiums that go with it. The government does offer aid in the form of Medicaid, but there are certain restrictions that keep some of us from being able to take advantage of the things that are offered. Although most of us fall within the income guidelines for Medicaid, if you are not going through the Office of Recovery Services to collect child support, you are ineligible to receive benefits through the state. … Continue reading

Relief Society: Dealing With the Bad Days

Have you ever had one of those days when you wanted to lock yourself in a room and just have everyone leave you alone? Or maybe you just wanted to get out and leave the kids behind. It is important to take time as mothers to rejuvenate. A lot of times women in the church feel a pressure to feel perfect or they may feel guilty when they feel the need to be alone or to spend time taking care of themselves. It can be difficult to balance your needs with the needs of your family. There is a lot … Continue reading

Celebrating Mother’s Day When You Don’t Like Your Mom

You can’t miss the occasion of Mother’s Day. Advertisers refuse to let us. Wherever we turn we are bombarded with loving images of mothers and babies selling giftware from flowers to facials, and everything in between. But what happens if you don’t like your Mom? There is a huge societal rule that says “everyone loves their mom”. This is so imbedded in our psyche that to admit that you don’t actually like your mother often results in surprised looks, sounds of disbelief or even a lecture. “How could you not like your mother?” the naïve, lucky ones say. Sure, mothers … Continue reading

Meet a Families.com Blogger – Beth McHugh!

Today we are joined by awesome blogger Beth McHugh. Beth, thanks for being here with us today! How long have you blogged for Families.com? Since the beginning…..December 2005. What topics do you blog about? I blog on Mental Health. I could use some mental health right about now. What is your favorite thing about blogging for Families.com? I like to bring what is largely a taboo subject out of the closet where it can be discussed in a friendly and comfortable environment. Mental illness affects most people, either directly or indirectly, yet it still remains something that many people do … Continue reading

Preparing for Difficult Situations

It is not only single parents and single parent families who deal with difficult situations and circumstances, true—but there are some situations that we single parents get that the average two-parent family doesn’t: custody battles and conversations, court appearances, meetings with exes and ex-in-laws, possible counseling, mediation and therapy meetings, meeting with grief counselors, lawyers, etc.—you get the picture. While each of these circumstances is unique and each person’s life asks different things of them, there are things that we can do as single parents to prepare ourselves and our children for these difficult and challenging situations. I believe that … Continue reading

Mother Nature vs. Baby New Year

My friend just called to wish me a Happy New Year… from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. No kidding. The poor thing is sitting in an airport on New Year’s Eve on her way back from spending Christmas with her brother in Colorado. She’s been waiting 3 hours for her now twice delayed connecting flight back to Wisconsin. If she’s lucky she’ll land here by next year. Mother Nature has not been kind to holiday travelers this year. Bad weather has made the busy travel season difficult for flyers from coast to coast. Making matters worse is a new report from the … Continue reading

Holiday Meals with Your Mother-in-Law

Not everyone is lucky enough to have married into the perfect family. Some people are not even lucky enough to have married into a decent family. However, once married the family is yours too. For some couples, the holidays can be very stressful. Not due to last minute shopping or picking out the perfect gift but due to holiday meals with the in-laws. In my opinion, in-laws are much harder for women than for men. Women tend to take things more personally and strive to please their in laws more than men do. Most men are what they are take … Continue reading

When He Compares You to His Mother…

The bond between a mother and a son is thought to be a very close one. The term “mama’s boy” is very popular and usually with good reason. I know my son is definitely one! I can imagine that it is very hard for a mother to see her son attached to another woman. Likewise, it can be hard for a man to grow accustomed to another woman. However, one of the hardest things that a woman can hear in a marriage is a comparison to her husband’s mother. Of course, meaning when the comparison is bad. When your husband … Continue reading

“My Son Has Juvenile Diabetes and Autism.” A Mother’s Interview

The following interview is with Ammey, a mother whose children have multiple medical and cognitive conditions. Of particular interest to me is her situation with her oldest son, Khy, who has both juvenile diabetes and autism. Ammey responded to my blog, Do You Have BOTH Juvenile Diabetes and Autism in Your Family? Here is her story. 1. Tell us a little about your family. My name is Ammey, and I’ve been married for thirteen years to my husband Mikel. We have three children: Our son Khy is 14, Kaine is 11, and Lilli is four. Khy has autism, asthma, type … Continue reading

Adoption Blog Month in Review: August 2007

A major theme for this month in the adoption blog was discussions—especially discussions with your child, but also discussions with others. I began the month sharing my four-year-old daughter Regina’s questions about her droopy eyelid in Talking With Kids About Special Needs, and in Principles for Talking with Kids About Special Needs I discuss how I tried to use the same tenets for talking about her eye that I use when talking about adoption issues. Regina also figures prominently in the next blogs. She told me, “I Don’t Like My Skin”. I stumbled through a response, shared in I Don’t … Continue reading