Life in the Navy as a single father with full custody

We spoke with Michael Noblejas about being stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland and being a single father in the Navy today. “It’s not easy and sometimes it can be really stressful when all the pressure is on me; which is all of the time, every day. I don’t have a choice, my son’s mother isn’t in the picture and that is quite difficult for my son and I but we get by just great actually”. Michael has a two year old son, Eli, and currently lives off base. “I have a really understanding supervisor and that makes all the difference to my career and to my level of stress raising my son”..
Be inspired by this single father who has an uninvolved mother of his child and a career on the rise. “I just do it, you know, one day at a time and then it isn’t so stressful when my son gets pink eye or something”. Trying to be the best father for his son is Michael’s top priority in life. Filing for a separation and beginning to look at the divorce process is a huge undertaking when he is already juggling everything and dealing with their son’s mother who has a serious substance abuse problem.
Michael shares more on his exposure to drugs, jail, infidelity and more in January.

DIYFather is a social enterprise promoting active fatherhood through online and offline products and services. DIYFather’s main platform is www.diyfather.com, an interactive website for dads providing practical information about parenting from a male perspective. DIYFather.com was brought into this world by Wellington-based dads Stefan Korn, Scott Lancaster and Eric Mooij who recognised a real need for social innovation in the fathering space. Based on their own experiences of struggling to find useful parenting information specifically aimed at dads they created DIYFather. In 2010 DIYFather.com will launch an innovative suite of products for separated dads - so watch this space. You'll find out first on isingleparent.com.

While walking through one of my favorite discount stores the other day, I happened upon a scene that gave me hope for America’s future. It was change I could believe in, for sure.
As her four children hopped around her, begging her in their most pitiful voices to buy them something, a mother stood, impassive, obviously immune to their retail angst, chanting, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no….”
As I walked by, smiling at her, it struck me that the economy, bad as it is, could have beneficial effects on parenting. After all, I haven’t witnessed a scene of that sort in quite some time, and I’ve seen two in the last two weeks, in two different cities, widely separated. Something is happening.

Living with Children
John Rosemond
Copyright 2009, John K. Rosemond

The Importance of Relationships

Tired of Dating the wrong person? Relationships strained with family and friends? Want a better sex life? Then these two amazing experts are the answer for you in 2010. We proudly welcome Dr. Pepper Schwartz Ph.D and Dr. Maureen Vernon Ph.D as experts in the field of relationships, families and sex.
Click on the “heart” icon to read fascinating articles you just won’t want to miss starting in January.

As I continue this column, I welcome questions that may assist all single parents and caregivers. I will strive to provide the best possible information for the care of your child.
About Fran R. Cogen, MD, CDE. Dr. Cogen is the director of the Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes Program at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and was named as one of the Best Doctors in America. She has served on the American Diabetes Association National Diabetes Education Recognition Committee and is currently the Physician Representative of The National Certification Board for Diabetes.

I’m the poster-child for someone who should not drive without a Global Positioning System or GPS. A GPS is one of the greatest inventions of all time! Before GPS became a household name, I drove through life like I was in one of my 11 year old son’s video games: fumbling with maps, frantically searching for signs, desperately avoiding hazards, almost always going in the wrong direction, and mostly screaming and crying. It was not a pretty sight.
With the current state of the economy, many people feel like they’re hurling through the same type of video “game.” During my 27 years of guiding people in money matters, I’ve acted as my clients’ “Fiscal GPS”.
This is my first in a series of articles for iSingleParent in which I will navigate the subject of Women, Men, Their Money, and Installing a Fiscal GPS.
Jacalyn Murray, CRPC® Vice President, Investment Consultant
SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.

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You are a single parent but…

Did you know that more than 45% of Americans are single parents today? That’s not a few people deciding they want a divorce or finding themselves parenting alone, that’s a social change. Whether you are widowed, divorced, separated or never married iSingleParent is for you.

So, this is your chance to start the life you’ve only dreamed of and to be inspired.. …. believe that you can do anything you set your mind out to do.

Sherree Rogers
Editor

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Dr. Sok weaves humor and richness of his experiences as a single parent, athlete, educator and practitioner in a down-to-earth and engaging style. He is a sought-after doctor and advisor to high school, college, and professional athletes, as well as Olympic team members. Dr. Sok was selected as the "Sports Chiropractor of the Year" 2006. As a Doctor of Chiropractic and Diplomat of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, he presently is one of the team doctors for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL and is part of the Sports Medicine Team for the University of Maryland Terrapins. He also previously served as the team chiropractor for the Washington Nationals (MLB) and Bowie Baysox.
In 1997, Dr. Sok completed his residency at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Dr. Sok was a member of the USA Sports Medicine Team for the 1999 Pan Am Games and was the team doctor for the 1998 Goodwill Games. He is also the team chiropractor for the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he has worked with their Sports Med staff since 1991.
I am excited to be a regular contributor for iSingleParent.com and to be able to share my experiences as a single dad and professional from the iDad perspective. Join me in 2010 as we co-parent together and make choices that make sense for our children.

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We are very pleased to have Dr. Ricci contribute her knowledge and understanding of divorce and transitioning into a new life with children as a single parent.

Isolina Ricci, Ph.D., is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice with over 30 years experience. She specializes in divorce, stepfamilies, co-parenting and life transitions. She is the Director of the New Family Center providing consultation to family courts and specialized training and continuing education for professionals.

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1. Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies By Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton Illustrated by James McMullan Little, Brown Books for Young Readers $24.99 ISBN: 9780316040495

2. Parenting By the Book John Rosemond $19.99

3. Mom’s House, Dad’s House By Isolina Ricci, Ph.D Simon & Schuster $15.00

4. An Extraordinary Wardrobe Is Hiding In Your Closet By Janet Wood and Kathy McFadden $14.96

5. Internet Protect Your Kids By Stephen Arterburn And Roger Marsh Thomas Nelson $13.99

iThink Inspiration Dad's House Reading Corner

"Parenting by the book"
written by John Rosemond