Greetings:

As my title indicates, I have now been a single parent for one year.  I am dealing with custody issues, my ex refuses to believe that her daughter was abusive to our son, and tries to force him to interact with her, and we have to live our lives, subject, to a certain extent, to her input.

In addition, I find that it is far easier for divorced women to move on than divorced men.  After all, men come to women, not the other way around - at least, if you are talking about saved, sanctified women rather than women who live according the the standards of the world.  I don't like dating, and I hae a son that I am raising alone.  What should I be doing now?  Forget about women, and focus on child rearing, join eHarmony ( I tried that - waste of time and money in my case), what?  I don't like being alone, but I also don't like what has been presented to me thus far.

Frustrated and fed up!

First, I am so sorry for the pain that your family is going through. I was raised by a single parent, and though my other parent was active in my life, I witnessed firsthand how difficult it is for an adult to raise a child alone.

I can sense the frustration in your post, and my advice would be to work on yourself. This isn't to suggest neglecting your duties as a parent, but to work on the four main areas of attraction: physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Take time for yourself where you can find it. Work on being the best you can be for your age and situation in life.

And from what I have seen, men and women have an equally difficult time "moving on." Both my parents had a few boyfriends/girlfriends before finding their current spouses. My father actually remarried first. I would advise you to focus on you, your son, and being the victor - not victim. There is power in that outlook.

Also, when you do start dating again, please enter relationships carefully and responsibly for your sake and the sake of your son. Every person you date is not only a potential mate, but a potential parent for him.