Thriving Single Parent of the Week: Juan

I received the following "Thriving Single Parent" story from a reader named Juan:

I went from being a not-so-involved father to being a residential single father of a 7-year-old girl. I had to learn a lot of stuff, from the "trivial" ponytail to some less-obvious skills I needed to develop in order to communicate well with my daughter.

At that point I was a graduate student and was finishing my dissertation. We lived on a budget with my ex at the time, and when we split I could not make ends meet, so I took an extra job. Finishing my dissertation on time, helping my daughter adjust, learning to adjust myself to being single again (after 16 years with my ex), and working the two jobs was a tremendous challenge, but somehow I pulled it off.

The most wonderful thing is that I emerged with a completely new attitude towards life. I laugh more--way more--worry less, and have become much more responsible than ever. When it comes to the divorce itself, I overcame a lot of anger and resentment towards my ex-wife (and vice versa).

What I appreciate most about Juan's story is that he's able to look back and see how far he's come since he began the journey of single parenting. To me, that's a big part of what it really means to thrive!

How about you? Are you a "Thriving Single Parent?" Share your story with us here about About.com.

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