The female-headed, single parent family is a family structure that presents challenges to family life educators, family counselors, and policy makers. For effective delivery of services, accurate information on the functioning of these families is needed. This study used a phenomenological perspective to examine the various challenges faced by women who are single parents. Subjects were 30 women who were between the ages of 25 and 38 years, were employed at least 30 hours per week, had two or more children living in the house, and had no other adult living in the house. During interviews, subjects talked about their lives, families, needs, concerns, strengths, sources of help they would recommend, and how they saw themselves in 10 years. Respondents had concerns about money, time, and child care. They felt that neither their education nor their socialization had prepared them for the lives they were living. Most felt they were functioning adequately and reported feeling proud of their children and happy with their jobs. The findings have implications for family life professionals and for policy makers. (NB)