There are many Christian parents who are single through death, divorce or other circumstances. While in some ways Christian parenting is the same as for the rest of us, they have special challenges to navigate. Their journey is difficult enough without having to search extensively for help dealing with Christian parenting issues that are specific to their situation.
I was interested when offered the opportunity to review the new book Going Solo: Hope and Healing for the Single Mom or Dad by Robert Beeson. Beeson was an executive in the Christian music industry. Through a variety of circumstances, he found himself the divorced father of three young girls. He eventually founded a ministry – Solo Parent Society – for Christian single parents.
The book is his personal story woven with the principles he learned through his divorce and the aftermath. He freely admits the poor choices he made that contributed to the destruction of his marriage. Although he goes into the background of his divorce a bit, the book is more about what happened after the divorce than before it.
Although, I have never been through a divorce, the issues he faced and the advice he gives seems practical and helpful. He covers everything from how he told his daughters their mother had left them to how he found mentors for his girls and more. He even discusses beginning to date again and his remarriage – with some advice I suspect needs to be given quite a bit more often.
The book has what he calls “confessional” blocks throughout, sharing tips from other single parents. He also quotes quite a few scriptures and focuses a lot on how to lean on God through things like prayer.
The only negative I could see was that he claimed the book was also for parents who were single from circumstances other than divorce. Although I’m sure some of the advice applies to everyone, the book is definitely heavily skewed towards the divorced parent. It’s absolutely understandable as that is the author’s personal experience. If you are really struggling with the unique circumstances facing a parent who is single through death or an unplanned pregnancy, a book specifically written for those groups may contain more of what you need.
If you know of someone who has just divorced, this might be a good book to help them begin to regain their footing. When kids are involved, you don’t necessarily have the luxury of not functioning for long periods of time. I would imagine this book could help many process their loss while they continue to parent.
This book was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review. An affiliate link is included for your convenience.