I love single mothers! With over ¼ of our homes finding single mothers at the helm, never has there been a greater time to come alongside and encourage these moms raising children alone. We all know the craziness of being a mom! It often feels like being a passenger on a rollercoaster with ups and downs around every curve. Amen? Yet, being a “single” mom brings on a whole new set of challenges. She’s the cook, the taxi driver, the homework monitor, the money-maker, the disciplinarian, and all the while, trying to do so with grace and charm. In her roller coaster of never ending responsibilities, the loop-de-loops of raising children alone seem to never come to a complete halt. No wonder single motherhood is hard!
Though I have been remarried for over two decades, I became a single mother when my husband left me with a two and a three-year-old. Out of that season, God worked it together for good and birthed a national ministry for single mothers – Arise Ministries. We host the only statewide single mothers’ conference in the nation- Survive ‘N’ Thrive, which now travels to other states. Over the years, I have witnessed thousands of courageous single mothers rise above the obstacles of being a solo parent by choosing to do motherhood God’s way, modeling well to their children, and leading their sons and daughters along the pathway of positive character building and integrity. Against all odds, many have watched their children graduate with honors from high school and emerge into adulthood landing on both feet, fully equipped as leaders and respectable young men and women.
Single moms matter! Single moms can do it! I am passionate about these mothers knowing their immense value in their roles of being the only parent under the roof. Moms (not dads) have a unique place in children’s hearts to mold them unlike any other human being in this world. And doesn’t that make sense? No other force is more powerful than a mom’s influence. So you GO, single moms! You are a legacy builder.
Facts about American Children – (2012)
1 in 2 will live in a single parent family at some point in childhood
1 in 3 is born to unmarried parents
1 in 4 lives with only one parent
1 in 8 is born to a teenage mother
1 in 25 lives with neither parent
1/2 of all mothers awarded child support never receive it
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Pam Kanaly, popular author of The Single Mom and Her Rollercoaster Emotions, and nominated by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin for 2015 Oklahoma Mother of the Year, Pam serves as founder of the national Survive ‘N’ Thrive conferences. Pam exudes with a God-given desire to speak of the mother’s worth in the home. She is President and co-founder of the national organization Arise Ministries, (www.ariseministries.net) having been featured on the 700 Club and other national programs. Pam resides in Edmond, Oklahoma, with her husband Rich, and is Grammy Pammy to seven grandchildren.
