{"id":7332,"date":"2015-07-22T07:00:20","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T11:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=7332"},"modified":"2015-07-18T15:23:42","modified_gmt":"2015-07-18T19:23:42","slug":"what-ben-carsons-single-mom-did-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/07\/what-ben-carsons-single-mom-did-right.html","title":{"rendered":"What Ben Carson’s Single Mom Did Right"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ID-10062150\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Ben Carson, renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and now presidential candidate,\u00a0was raised in poverty to a single mom who lived\u00a0in a tough neighborhood. Ben’s mom worked two to three jobs in order to put food on the table. She didn’t want to be a victim. Instead, she instilled a work ethic into both of her boys.<\/p>\n

Ben’s mom didn’t have an easy life. She grew up in foster homes as one of 24 siblings and married at the age of 13. When she learned that her husband was a bigamist, she made the difficult decision to\u00a0divorce and go it alone. When raising her sons, she paid attention to the habits of the high achieving families with whom she worked. She made her boys read books even though she couldn’t read. She believed they could be great.<\/p>\n

Single moms have a lot on their plates when it comes to raising strong teens, but the job can be done.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what one single mom had to say about raising teens. “I have three pieces of advice. Depend on the Lord because you need His strength, wisdom and guidance. Don’t make your child the little man or a second mom. And finally, stay positive, tapping in to support and help when you need it.”<\/p>\n

Research supports this mom’s advice.\u00a0Single moms fare best when they…<\/p>\n