Manage your money wisely. Ask God to guide you as you set a household budget, and to help you live within it. Don’t let vague financial worries keep you awake at night; determine which specific bills you need to deal with first (such as mortgage or rental payments) and pay them diligently according to their due dates so you won’t need to worry. Be sure to give prompt attention to filing your taxes and paying any legal fines, such as traffic tickets. Get out of debt and avoid incurring any new debt. Seek help from financial experts if your finances are currently a mess. Don’t neglect giving to God’s work and saving and investing for the future. Before buying something, ask yourself: “Do I really need this?”, “Is this the best possible buy?”, “Will it enhance God’s work or my relationship with Him?”, “Can I afford to buy this with cash?”, “Will it require costly upkeep?” and “Have I been willing to wait for God to provide this?”. Talk openly and tactfully about money issues with your children’s father, doing your best to try to build a positive relationship with him.

Deal with your parenting worries. Deal with laziness and irresponsibility by figuring out which rewards for good behavior and lost privileges for bad behavior will motivate your children. Choose your battles, focusing only on major issues and being willing to let the rest go. Deal with poor school performance by staying in close communication with teachers and administrators at your children’s school, talking with your children openly about school, praying for them, and connecting them to tutoring help if needed. Deal with media fixation by placing limits on television and Internet usage to free up more time for activities like schoolwork, household chores, sports, church group events, music lessons, etc. Deal with fearfulness, anxiety, and dependency by reassuring your children that they are deeply and dearly loved. Deal with controlling or manipulative behavior by saying “no” to your children when appropriate and disciplining them. Deal with nutritional issues by making time to prepare healthy meals to eat together at home, encouraging your children to get enough exercise and eat a proper diet so they don’t struggle with a weight problem, and getting them professional help for any eating disorders they may have.

Deal with undesirable friends and unhealthy attachments by calmly and gently explaining your concerns to your children and setting boundaries such as limiting or prohibiting contact with certain people. Deal with same-sex attraction by making sure there is at least one positive male role model in your children’s lives, with whom they have a close relationship; protecting your children from sexual abuse from any men you date; and making sure that you don’t become too controlling or overpowering of a presence in your home.