It isn't easy being a single parent, and it isn't easy being the kid of a single parent, either. Laughter and special moments balance anger and frustration, new dreams replace old, but always there is a commitment of doing one's best and loving forever.

2022 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner in Non-Fiction - Memoir Genre Award-Winning Memoir “Courageously exploratory, making for a truly enlightening read." (Kirkus Reviews) Raising Jess is the powerful story of one family’s survival when faced with adversity. Written with compassion, honesty, and humor, it tells of a family changed forever by the birth of a child with a rare chromosome deletion and their courageous decision to choose hope. Facing the challenges of caring for her daughter, marriage struggles, and the question of having more children, Vickie Rubin gives a glimpse into the world of her family and transformation while Raising Jess. This beautiful, gripping memoir will delight and leave you wanting more. "This is an inspiring story of tragedy and triumph, brilliantly and powerfully told. I highly recommend it." - Ashley Adams, Author “This is a triumphant tale.” - Cathy Shields, Author" "A heartwarming, compassionate story. This story will bring tears to the eyes of readers as they are educated and enraptured by one family’s journey with a child with special needs.” (5-Star Review by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite) “Couldn’t put it down! Raising Jess is an amazing book! Vickie Rubin’s writing is masterful! Highly recommend.” - Mike Steklof, Ed. D. “Beautiful Insightful Narrative That Resonates Deeply. I feel enlightened, inspired, hopeful and transformed by Vickie's story.” - Janet G. “Beautifully written and a must-read for anyone that knows someone with disabilities or wants to know a family’s perspective.” - Jill G. “I couldn’t put it down. Get a copy of this book—so pure, raw, and beautiful.” - Ashleigh Bussinger “Vickie reveals her Soul to the reader. A Must-Read for All” - Lori N. Vickie Schlanger Rubin, M.S Ed., three-time award-winning author, contributes essays to Newsweek, Buffalo News Opinion, and blogs worldwide. Vickie is an experienced public speaker and passionate advocate for families of children with disabilities. Her blog, Vickie's Views (www.vickierubin.com), gives a heartwarming and humorous view of everyday life.

The loss of a spouse through death, divorce, or even abandonment can leave a mom or dad feeling uncertain about how to pull the family together and raise spiritually healthy children. In this best-selling book, Bishop T. D. Jakes, the father of five children, offers hope, encouragement, and biblical advice for single parents--and for those who feel as if they are single. Using discussion questions, interactive parent/child activities, and prayers at the end of each chapter, Jakes helps you learn how to embrace your family’s future and let go of your painful past as you reflect on topics including: Learn how to accept unexpected changes. Know that past failure does not prevent future success. Learn how to love imperfect people. Turn pain into power. Know that it is OK to ask for help.

[This title] operates on the radical premise that neither child nor parent must dominate. -- Review.

In May of 2008, Kim Muench received a call from the eldest of her five children, twenty-year-old son Nick, who confessed that his life was being destroyed by alcohol abuse. During his spiral through the darkness, Kim worked with her son to help him find long-term sobriety. But she knew that he was not the only person who needed to change. So, while she partnered with her family in her son's recovery, she also began to make her own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being a priority. Knowing parenthood was her greatest role, Kim sought to uncover the limiting beliefs she had developed in childhood that were infecting the relationships she'd built with those she loved the most. Kim made a conscious choice to parent in a different light. As you read Becoming Me While Raising You, Kim's amazing story will challenge you to: Review your core beliefs; Release what limits you; and Renew your commitment to your true self. Join Kim on a journey of self-discovery that will inspire you to also look back to move forward

The stunning success of Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher’s landmark book, showed a true and pressing need to address the emotional lives of girls. Now, finally, here is the book that answers our equally timely and critical need to understand our boys. In Raising Cain, Dan Kindlon, Ph.D., and Michael Thompson, Ph.D., two of the country’s leading child psychologists, share what they have learned in more than thirty-five years of combined experience working with boys and their families. They reveal a nation of boys who are hurting—sad, afraid, angry, and silent. Statistics point to an alarming number of young boys at high risk for suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, violence and loneliness. Kindlon and Thompson set out to answer this basic, crucial question: What do boys need that they’re not getting? They illuminate the forces that threaten our boys, teaching them to believe that “cool” equals macho strength and stoicism. Cutting through outdated theories of “mother blame,” “boy biology,” and "testosterone,” Kindlon and Thompson shed light on the destructive emotional training our boys receive—the emotional miseducation of boys. Through moving case studies and cutting-edge research, Raising Cain paints a portrait of boys systematically steered away from their emotional lives by adults and the peer “culture of cruelty”—boys who receive little encouragement to develop qualities such as compassion, sensitivity, and warmth. The good news is that this doesn't have to happen. There is much we can do to prevent it. Kindlon and Thompson make a compelling case that emotional literacy is the most valuable gift we can offer our sons, urging parents to recognize the price boys pay when we hold them to an impossible standard of manhood. They identify the social and emotional challenges that boys encounter in school and show how parents can help boys cultivate emotional awareness and empathy—giving them the vital connections and support they need to navigate the social pressures of youth. Powerfully written and deeply felt, Raising Cain will forever change the way we see our sons and will transform the way we help them to become happy and fulfilled young men.

Raising a child alone whether you are a father or mother can be the most trying experience in anyone s life. Learning to handle all the many duties that two people would normally deal with and adjusting to the overwhelming demands of a child on a daily basis is a trying experience. Yet, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2006 that over 12.9 million single parents raise their children alone. While a small percentage of that was single fathers (2.5 million), the hard reality of raising a child alone remains the same for either parent. Through hours of meticulous research and interviews, this book was compiled to show exactly how a single father can raise a child alone to be happy and healthy without the help of a second parent. You will learn, as a single father, how to reassure your children and maintain the feeling of a family. You will learn how to help them feel better regardless of whether you are a single father through death or divorce. You will learn how to treat your children and how to communicate with them. The basics of discipline and rules will be outlined for a single-parent household, along with tips on how you can have fun with your children the right and healthy way. You will learn the differences between having daughters versus sons as a father, and how to handle the myriad issues that the mother would normally handle. Dozens of hours of interviews with experts in child psychology and child raising were conducted, and have been included in this book to provide a complete outline of what you can expect throughout raising your children. You will learn how to turn your house into a home, divvying up space, having pets, and how to handle chores. You will learn how to find reliable child care and how to juggle your time among your work, your children, and yourself. You will learn how to deal with school and ensure that your children get the attention they need to succeed. The basics of cooking and health care for children and how to handle their emotional issues as they grow older will all be outlined for you. For every father alone for the first time or unsure of how to raise a child alone, this book will provide the detailed instruction you need to be the best possible single father.