dreamsDo you see your single parent family as a whole family? A real family?

There was a time not so long ago when single-parent-headed households were considered “broken.”  Sadly, the idea of a broken family can far too easily be misinterpreted as “I am broken.”

Today I discussed this issue with Melissa Shaw of Bay State Parent Magazine during an interview that focused on the ideas raised in my book, Soul Mothers’ Wisdom. Melissa asked about the “stigma” of being a single parent. Has the stigma changed in some way, she was wondering.

In thinking about how to reply, it occurred to me that one way the stigma of “broken,” may have changed is that today single parents may be less apt to internalize “broken” to mean that their family is less vital, even less important than two parent families, or that somehow they themselves must be defective.

I remember feeling terribly Less-Than in the early years of being a single mother. However, as time went by and as I grew, I came to feel proud of my family of three. My definition of my family changed as I grew more whole within my Self.

Wholeness of Self is an important feature of Soul wisdom, and is the destination I chose for myself. Self-wholeness is a destination to Self-confindence, to greater inner peace, and to the acquisition of more energy for effective parenting.

Wholeness is a destination I hope all single parents will choose. As you grow to trust in the intactness of your family and trust your effectiveness as a single parent, you will feel a solid sense of wholeness emerge within your true Self.