Being a single parent can be incredibly demanding. Many parents feel intimidated by the possibility of having to care for a child entirely by themselves. If your child custody agreement has left you feeling overwhelmed and feeling like you have to play “superman,” consider these helpful insights into the real world of single parenting.

First, single parents should be sure to set boundaries with their children. Your divorce may have left you feeling guilty about the emotional impact experienced by your kids, but that does not mean you should give in to their every whim. Learn to be comfortable saying “no” without softening the blow with an “okay?” at the end of your sentence. You need to learn to be loving but firm when your children make requests you cannot accommodate.

Military families and parents often struggle with equitable child custody. This can be even more difficult for North Carolina couples that include one member with foreign or joint citizenship. One Midwestern woman's ordeal confirms the extraordinarily complicated processes that can be required to retrieve a child that has been taken to a foreign country by a disgruntled parent.

The woman's two--year custody battle with her husband began in 2009, when he took the girl to Iran to visit his relatives. The couple had decided that they were not suitable marriage partners, so they had informally separated, but they retained their marriage documents for the benefit of the child. The man had been permitted frequent visits with his daughter, but he apparently wanted to play a larger role in the girl's life.

We all know that divorce can take an emotional and financial toll on couples, but were you aware that your credit score could actually suffer after a split? Experts say that your spouse could ruin your credit rating and scores through their own malicious intent, though innocent oversight can also be to blame. Most of these credit problems arise when couples are attempting to deal with their family home or vehicles. You can take a few simple steps to avoid the additional heartache that comes with a deflated credit score.

First, it is important to remember that your divorce decree does not supersede any contracts you made with your lenders during your marriage. That is, the creditors will not acknowledge court-ordered changes to the contract. It is thus your responsibility to make sure that your ex correctly transfers his or her share of the asset's equity. If you keep the home, you must refinance the loan under your own name. Similarly, if your spouse decides to keep the house, you need to make sure that your name is removed from all loan documents.

Online dating sounds like a safe and exciting prospect for many newly divorced individuals in North Carolina. Not so fast, though -- experts say that publicizing too much about your personal life while divorce or child custody hearings are ongoing could cause serious headaches. We have discussed the impact of social media profiles, such as those on Facebook, on divorce proceedings, but what about online dating profiles?

Attorneys are increasingly consulting profiles from eHarmony, Match.com and a variety of other dating sites during alimony, child support and other divorce-related hearings. Many people sign up for the dating sites before they have officially split, a move that could prove detrimental in the courtroom. Statistics show that more than half of matrimonial lawyers have seen relationship statuses from dating sites used as evidence in courtroom hearings. Online daters also tend to lie about their occupation, income and parenting status.