the unmarried status would have de-
creased. But the question still comes.
question for yourself. As you explore this,
beware of negative self-talk and myths,
such as everyone must marry in order to
be happy. It could be that the timing has-
n't been right, or that you have put your
career or extended family circumstances
first. If you are a Christian, you can rest in
the fact that God knows you intimately,
that He knows your needs. As a wise and
loving Father, He has a plan for your life,
which may not include marriage, but defi-
nitely could be one of happiness and ful-
fillment.
evitably comes, hopefully its sting will
have been dulled.
choose humor, seriousness, or to turn the
question back on them (`And when are
you going to ....?). Then change the sub-
Questions appropriate for printing in the War Cry will be answered through this column.
A huge part of the problem is that your
child is entering the very exciting, confus-
ing, anxious time of life know as the pre-
teen years. There will be many surprising
things that he may no longer enjoy or
want to participate in, such as brushing
his teeth and taking showers! First, ac-
knowledge and accept that he is in a very
significant development phase, and not
necessarily rejecting church.
his friends and family. Friends and belong-
ing to a group become very important at
this time. The child begins to feel more
stress and pressure. Moodiness may begin
to surface.
ice, let him know that you will be inter-
ested to know his thoughts about the
pastor's sermon later. Encourage him to
try an additional activity at church during
the week, thus enabling him to develop
friendships as well as belonging to another
group. Hopefully, these friends will also at-
tend Sunday church services and would be
an additional attraction for his attending.
which you endeavor to listen to your
child's heart. While this is a time of grow-
ing independence for pre�teens, they still
very much need their parents.
rience, and that it, like showering, eating,
going to work and school, is not optional.
How do I respond to well-mean-
My child is nine and does not like
Single Americans account for 49 percent
of the adult population in America. That's
96.6 million singles, according to infor-
mation from the Pew Research Center
and the U.S. Census Bureau. Of course, in-
cluded in these statistics are those who
are widowed or divorced, and those in
biblically forbidden statuses such as co-
habitors and homosexual partnering. So,
you're not alone!
partner, busy building careers, trauma
from past abusive relationships, caring for
parents, self contentment), there are al-
most as many reasons people question
one's singleness (genuine concern, nosi-
ness, insensitivity, patronizing attitudes).
the last 50 years, with a greater ac-
ceptance of people not marrying,