"Married Mom, Solo Parent" by Carla Anne Coroy (Kregel Blog Tour)

Somewhere in the heart of every girl, there is a dream of a perfect romance with a lifelong devoted husband.  When those little girls grow up, they often realize that life isn't a perfect romance and things don't always work out as they'd hoped or dreamed.  Sometimes marriage is just plain hard.  It requires give and take and a commitment to the long term.  What happens when the husband isn't available in the marriage, either physically or emotionally?  Can we, as Christian women, step up to the challenge of parenting alone and doing the right thing even if our husband isn't?  Carla Anne Coroy addresses these types of questions and more in her book Married Mom, Solo Parent: Finding God's Strength to Face the Challenge.

I applaud the author for taking on this subject and sharing her own real struggles with a husband who often spent time away for work.  She is really between a rock and a hard place -- the common thinking in society is to "just get divorced if you aren't happy" and the common thinking in Christian circles is often all about "submitting and accepting your lot in life" or hiding the problem.  I think she does a great job of encouraging women in this situation to seek God's will and find strength in His truth, as opposed to the conventional "wisdom" of divorce or fulfilling needs in an ungodly way.  Yet, she also acknowledges the disappointment and frustration that women face when left alone to do the work of raising the children and keeping the home while husbands work, serve in the military, or lose themselves to addiction of some kind.  Yes, even things like computers can preoccupy husbands to the point of ignoring their families and duties at home.  I have never seen these issues addressed in any other resource and I suspect it must be a more common problem than we allow ourselves to let on.

Ms. Coroy offers helpful ideas for managing the burdens and loneliness.  I think the chapter entitled "Give me a break!" can apply to many stay-at-home moms, not just those whose husbands are unavailable.  We often neglect our own needs in the daily grind of routine.  Obviously, motherhood requires self-sacrifice, but it can reach a point of burnout that is not helpful to anyone in the family.  Even moms need a minute or two to refresh from time to time.  I like her idea of mini-breaks like reading a magazine, lighting a candle, using a special soap just for yourself, and that type of thing.  Simple things that can boost your morale.

She does not encourage whining or staying stuck in self-pity, which is a temptation in this kind of situation.  She advocates facing the issue head-on, praying, accepting God's plan, and making the best of things by implementing a strategy that works for you and your family.

I found the book to be real and relatable with some good encouragement for women walking this particular path in life.  I would recommend it to any woman who wants to honor her marriage vows in a less than perfect situation while keeping her family as the priority.



Disclaimer:  I received this book at no cost from Kregel Publishing for the purpose of review.  The opinions expressed are my own and no other compensation was given.  If you should decide to purchase the book through my affiliate link, I will receive a credit from Amazon.  Thank you!