The "bad" news is that the number of single parents seeking quality vacations with their children is growing. The good news is that the number of single parents seeking quality vacations with their children is growing.

Brenda Elwell is a single mom who's traveled solo with her kids for twenty years, but chafed under the realization that she and single parents as a group were "woefully neglected by the travel industry."

She says that all aspects of the travel

Successful co-parenting requires good communication, and research shows that children whose parents make an effort to communicate effectively with one another fair better in the months and years following a divorce. One small thing that you can do to improve positive communication between you and your ex is to meet regularly to talk about raising your children. Here are some tips to help structure each meeting:

1. Set a Business-like Tone

Family stability may be more crucial than dual parents for child's success

Family stability -- regardless of whether it's a one- or two-parent household -- may help a child succeed in school and life, a new study shows.

The findings, by an Ohio State University professor, challenge the conventional wisdom that two-parent households are always best for children. A single parent marrying or moving in with

We generally think of "the family" as two parents living together with children. However, more and more single women and adolescent girls find themselves in a situation where they must raise their children in single-parent homes.

When an adolescent girl discovers that she is pregnant, it can be one of the most frightening moments of her life because she is totally unprepared. To add to the confusion she is feeling, she may come under strong censure simply because people in our society still have mixed

Doing things on your own can allow you the freedom to make your own decisions but it can be very hard. There can be times when you miss, or wish you had, someone to share the workload, the experiences and the feelings of parenting.

Single parents are more likely to involve their children in the day to day running of the family. Children may have more responsibility for sharing the chores as well as caring for themselves.

Single parents often discuss things

The decision to leave a child home alone takes thought, discussion and preparedness. Deciding a child's readiness to safely assume the responsibilities of taking care of themselves at home can often be answered simply by asking the child.

If your child has shown a high level of apprehension in the past about being alone at home then other alternatives may need to be found. However, safety knowledge and training can often provide the child with the right tools to feel more

Getting through the first year single is tough. You'll be forced to make decisions you never wanted to contemplate, and rely on strength you didn't even know you had. Applying these practical single parenting tips will help you persevere during the most challenging days ahead and gain a renewed sense of hope and personal strength.

1. Develop a Support Network

This is absolutely crucial. You need to know who you can depend on right now. Most likely,

How do you build a strong family? By paying attention not only to individual family members but to the family as a group. This is rarely done in the American home. But your success as a parent may depend upon it.

A cooperative and interdependent family will not usually come into being if a parent centers most of his or her attention on individual kids when part or all of the family is together. A collection of people being herded in the same direction will not prosper and grow into the powerful family it could be

"Broken home." This is a derogatory label that causes much pain and misunderstanding. Too often, children living in single parent households have to contend with negative stereotypes and hurtful remarks made by Insensitive adults. Regardless of whether the single parent family exists as a result of divorce or death of the other parent, the child is clearly not responsible for the circumstances. However, it is the child who often pays the price: the child who has to write an essay because a parent cannot afford Back to School night,

If you're a single parent, you may have to deal with an ex-spouse who isn't very involved in your child's life. How you explain the situation to your child is important. Try following this advice:

Realize that no matter what you do, you can't force your child's other parent to be involved.

Although having both parents involved, it's not everything. As a good parent, you don't need the other parent in order to raise your child in a quality fashion.