Parenting: Are We Ever Ready?

   Most of us, when we are expecting a baby, eagerly wait for the nine months to pass. Then the moment we have been waiting for finally arrives; our baby is born. A new gift of life has entered our world.  Now begins the hard part -- raising our child to be the unique, wonderful person that God created. We believe that we will be good parents to help prepare our child to share his or her unique God-given talents with others in the world.

   However, many of us have the preconceived notion that we will be good parents because it is “instinctual.”  “Mothers are by nature nurturers. Fathers are protectors and the wage earners.” We also believe that only when we are married and two parents are in the home, should we have children. That has been society’s   “norm.” However, in our current society, not all families fit the “norm” of family or parenting. 2014 statistics show that 30% of families in Winnebago County are single parent families. Does this mean, then, that a single parent isn’t going to be a good parent? Not at all. It only means that being a single parent will be that much harder.

   Many of the clients who come to Bella are:  College students (40%); Teens (22%); 25 years old and older (39%). They may also be from another culture. There may be additional factors of alcoholism, drug use, lacking a father or mother in the home, or bo ...

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