July 19, 2026 — Episode #131
Jerry and Becky Drace open a new series on single parenting, digging into how people become single parents in the first place and the surprising statistics behind it.
They walk through the three main paths to single parenthood — never marrying, divorce, and the death of a spouse — and share a statistic that the first divorce in the U.S. typically occurs around age 30. The conversation turns candid about why marriages fail, with Becky pointing to premarital counseling that skips hard compatibility questions, and Jerry sharing a story about a young man convinced he was “in love” based purely on physical symptoms. They cite data showing 40% of single-parent households are headed by a mother who is the sole breadwinner (compared to just 10% of two-parent homes), and discuss the added strain when an ex-spouse remarries and shifts financial priorities to a new family. The Draces also touch on grandparents and au pairs stepping in as caregivers, share a story about a waitress working multiple jobs as a single mom, and reference Psalm 10:14 and Psalm 146:9 on God’s care for the fatherless. They also take a moment to announce the show’s newly launched podcast, encouraging listeners to find the full back catalog and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the website. The episode closes with a preview: next week they’ll welcome a guest with personal experience as a single parent.
Topics discussed:
- Roughly 24 million U.S. families are headed by a single parent (34% of all families with children)
- Three main paths to single parenthood: never marrying, divorce, and the death of a spouse
- The typical age of first divorce and why “falling out of love” isn’t the real cause
- Premarital counseling and the compatibility questions couples skip
- Statistics on single mothers as sole breadwinners
- Grandparents and au pairs stepping in as caregivers
- Psalm 10:14 and Psalm 146:9 on God’s care for the fatherless
- Announcing the show’s new podcast and how to subscribe
- Preview: next week’s guest, a single parent sharing their story
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