Two very nice things happened when I started this book. First， I found that all the<br >experts I contacted were incredibly helpful in sharing their knowledge and advice.<br >Many I interviewed personally. Others allowed me to use material from workshops I<br >attended. And l m extremely grateful to all of them for their enthusiasm and input.<br > The greatest experience， however， was meeting hundreds of single parents， talking<br >wlth you face to face and through the questionnaires which so many of you<br >volunteered to fill out. Having met you and shared the details of your lives， I say<br >"Cheers" for the divorced mother from Pennsylvania who writes: "We are a family. I<br >feel great satisfaction in my two healthy， intelligent， happy children. Single parents<br >malntalning a home are a special group and I think we all deserve a pat on the back!"<br >Earning less than $10，000 a year in a pretzel bakery， this mother has supported her<br >son and daughter for the past five years and still finds time and energy to be<br >supportive to her sister， who "has left her husband (3 small kids). I feel I have been<br >able to help her through example."<br > And cheers， too， for the California father who feels that living with Dad benefits<br >both parent and child: "Children can experience men as being loving and nurturing<br >also... Men can experience some of the joy in watching children grow and can<br >learn that won~n have problems too， and perhaps can relate better because of this<br >knowledge."<br > These are true expressions of the self-reliance compassion and joy in self and<br >children that I felt in all the sing e parents I met I benefitted from their experiences<br >and I hope that you wil， too.<br > Certainly， this is a practical group who approach the challenges of single-parent<br >living with optimism and flexibllity. How do they handle child care during school<br >vacations， for instance? Who cares for the kids in these "working parent" homes?<br >"The state of New Mexico provlded free day care while I was a student; then the<br >