Article October 22, 1979 Issue

Growing up with one parent

Madelon Maupin

If you're being raised by one parent—because your father or mother has passed on or because your parents are divorced or separated—Christian Science has something to say that can help you enormously.

First, you may be tempted to feel sorry for yourself in such a situation. Where's your dad when the father-daughter banquet comes around? Or your mom when you need somebody to teach you how to hem a skirt or be your biggest fan at a swim meet? Of course it's a challenge. But you don't have to feel overwhelmed. Being raised by one parent is an opportunity to begin hammering out some basic concepts about your relationship to God, concepts that everyone, sooner or later, will have to get around to figuring out.

One thing that's crucial for anyone to grasp is who or what actually provides security, protection, guidance, and education. Human parents may contribute as much as they're able, but there is a help more potent and present than even the most conscientious parent can provide. It is divine Love, God, who forms and steadily tends His creation, man. The love of God for man isn't some abstract religious notion. It's the most tangible feeling you'll ever have. It wells up inside and fills every corner where loneliness, fear, and the feeling of having been deserted may be lingering.

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