Be a Great Single Parent: Teach Yourself offers a step-by-step, sensible and jargon-free guide to all the things that most concern you, from what being a single parent means to you and your child emotionally, how to cope with the practical realities day-to-day, and how to socialise with parents like yourself and benefit from the many support networks available. There will be plenty of expert emotional support and useful advice for fathers, mothers and other family members whatever their domestic situation, and relevant do's, don'ts and further resources throughout NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the authors' many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of navigating the role of single parent. THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.

With the high rate of divorce, children are more likely than ever before to be raised by a single parent. Now, from the author of Positive Discipline, here is the definitive book for single parents to raising responsible, resp ectful children.

More than half of all children in the current generation will live with a single parent. Based on four national surveys and drawing on a decade of research, this powerful book clearly demonstrates how the divorce of their parents diminishes childrens' chances for well-being.

These new family constellations involve the following four separate groups: single biological mothers; single adoptive mothers or fathers (including those who have adopted older children as well as infants); divorced parents (i.e., the active parent who has decided not to remarry); and gay and lesbian parents (a relatively "new" category of alternative parenting). Listening to the poignant stories of those who have chosen single parenthood, we learn about their family backgrounds and how these played a significant role in shaping the hopes and aspirations for creating their own families. We hear about their ambitions, social lives, and love relationships, and what ultimately led them to decide to take on the responsibilities of parenthood outside the bonds of marriage.