When we think of introverts and extroverts, we generally think of shy vs. outgoing. Being an introvert or extrovert really has more to do with what energizes you and gives you vitality rather than how you handle yourself in social situations. Introverts tend to recharge through solitude: reading a book, resting, retreating. Extroverts need people and activities to feel revitalized. For introverts, finding yourself suddenly single can be a good thing. Introverts can retreat into their own space, meditate, pray, spend time alone and feel recharged. However, for extroverts, finding yourself single can be debilitating. Not having someone there to talk to and be there all the time can be difficult. As Christians, we know that God wants to heal us of our pain, so there is time we need to take away from dating and relationships to repair our hearts. As an extrovert, it can be really hard sometimes to settle down and allow the Lord to work His plan in our lives. The challenge for extr...

It's hard being a parent. When you're a single parent, it's even harder. No one prepared me for this journey eight years ago. I never thought I would be a single parent, and I'll admit to the judgement I passed on single parents years ago. I recently started thinking about the things I wish I had known before this journey, and the things I wish my married friends knew about being a single parent. 1. If you're married, you're not a single mom. This may sound silly or petty, but please never refer to yourself as a "single mom" when your husband is out of town or works late. I get it. Your husband may travel a lot for work—he may be out of town for weeks at a time. Just because you are home alone with the children for a couple nights or weeks at a time, it doesn't make you a single mom. I understand how hard it is doing it alone—I've done it alone for years. But calling yourself a "single mom" when you have your husband's financi...

"You're not a good person or being a good mother," read the text from my ex-husband. Hundreds more libelous statements have spewed from his mouth and fingertips in the eight years we have been divorced—to my children, to my children's teachers and principals, to my parents, to my employer, to anyone who will listen. He knows just where to cut me down to get a response from me, and this particular time, I lost. I responded to him out of hurt and anger. I know I'm a great mom, and I'm a pretty fantastic person, too. But I let his words get to me, because I wanted to prove to him that I am not the things he accuses me of. I didn't stick to the silence method I've used so many times before. In psychology, the "Gray Rock Method" is a conflict resolution/de-escalation tactic where you basically make your personality and responses as interesting as a gray rock. You reply in monotone, with usually monosyllabic responses: "Yes." "No...