Summary
Ron Deal wrote “Dating and the Single Parent”. He starts his book with a foreword, as most books do. However, this is one of the most powerful portions of the book because it gives the reasons for the book. While the content will be summarized, many people (especially the church), have not been dealing or addressing the blended families that are in need of help because the single parent is so prevalent and many people are not going into marriage of blended families with an awareness of how to do this effectively. Here are some shocking, but not unbelievable statistics:
1. “Forty two percent of adults are in a step relationship of some kind.
2. Thirty percent of marriages to attend Family Life’s Weekend to Remember marriage getaways are in blended families.
3. Two-thirds of marriages where one or both partners brings children into the relationship end in divorce” (Deal, 2012).
He continues to explain upfront that many of the issues are understanding the difference between “coupleness” and “familyness”, and that the latter is what will create a legacy. The book chapter’s attempts to guide both the single parent and the person interested in dating the parent advice and guidance in the process. The first portion of the book consists of five chapters and it titled “Getting Pas the Butterflies and Warm Fuzzies.” The first chapter “Dating in a crowd: Dating with purpose” (pg. 29) starts off the book with a reminder that when one dates a single parent, he/she is choosing to date not just the adult, but the children as well. He then discusses or warns the reader to be careful of those daters who want their needs all me by the other person (pg. 44). The second chapter “Mirror mirror on the wall: Am I ready to date?” (pg. 47) has an introspective look at the person to ask themselves beyond the hurt and pain, realize the loss has had a