DEAR ABBY: I just want people to know you can succeed in raising your kids as a single parent if you put your mind to it. I've worked in fast food, retail, and in nursing homes as a certified nursing assistant -- all jobs people call "dead end" jobs. I'm proud to say my kids are now grown and college-educated. I'm writing because I want to reassure single parents out there that it is possible. -- LOYAL READER IN ALABAMA
DEAR LOYAL READER: Congratulations on a job well done. Another example that comes to mind would be Ben Carson, M.D., an internationally respected pediatric neurosurgeon. He was raised by a single mother who had only a third-grade education, and he was a recent Republican candidate for president of the United States.