“The greatest challenge,” says Miranda, a mother of two boys, “is to be a working mother who is responsible for providing everything—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—without the help of a marriage mate.”

Decide what is truly important to you and your children, and make these things your priorities.

Stick to your priorities, and learn to manage your time and finances accordingly. To illustrate: Your children’s health is important, so use your hard-earned money to buy nutritious food. That’s better than spending your resources on medical bills. Before you shop, prepare a shopping list. This will protect you from wasteful impulse buying. “I like to cook,” says Roberto, who lives in the United States with his four children. He adds: “I learned to focus on needs—not wants—and not on needs in general, but on what we really needed each day.”

Dispose of things you never use—books, clothes, gadgets. As one single mom wrote: “Stuff equals stress. The more stuff you have, the more you have to clean, repair, and maintain. The key to simplifying your life is to simplify your stuff.”

Train your children to tidy up every night. Don’t let your home get out of control. Such domestic discipline teaches your children to take responsibility for their room and even for the home. Of course, your good example will add weight to your words.

Although you may be very busy, you must spend time with your children—not just brief periods of so-called quality time but as much time as you can give them. Your children need your time and attention.—Deuteronomy 6:7.

Have at least one meal together each day, and make mealtime a pleasant occasion. Says Colette, a mother of three: “We decided that the evening meal, when everyone was at home, would be a time of emotional and spiritual exchange. That meal has been and still is a special occasion in our family life.”