DEAR ABBY: I am the proud mother of a wonderful, "very cool," 15-year-old son. We learned recently that the parents of my son's best friend will no longer allow the boys to be together because they learned that we are a single-parent family. They have told their son that it is a bad thing and that my son will end up in trouble because of our circumstances. "Statistics prove it."
May I share my Mother's Day with you?
My day began the night before, with a simple-yet-special dinner cooked by my son, who paid for and brought the food home from the store on his bike. Mother's Day morning began with tiptoes to allow Mom to sleep a little longer while my son cooked a breakfast of eggs, warm pastries and hot coffee. Along with a sweet present, he also gave me the gift of a hard day's work to help me with projects I had wanted to tackle. The day ended happily with an evening together at home, with kisses and, "I love you, Mom" before bed.
I know there are reports of problem kids from single-parent families -- but, Abby, I know of many less-than-perfect children who come from two-parent families, particularly the older brother from the family mentioned above. We all know two-parent families where all members are miserable -- an intact marriage does not guarantee happiness. A happy family is just that ... happy. No matter what the size.
There are many wonderful children from single-parent families. Children should be judged by who they are, not by some ignorant generalization. I say "Bravo!" to all kids who make their parents proud -- especially mine. -- A HAPPIER FAMILY THAN MANY, DEL MAR, CALIF.
DEAR HAPPIER: It's unfortunate that your son was made a victim of discrimination for something over which he had no control. He appears to be both thoughtful and generous, qualities that most people value in a friend.
Having two parents can be advantageous, but it is no guarantee of success or excellence. One committed parent can be better than two who are so involved in their own problems they cannot concentrate on the kids.