Single Father Experiences Love Raising Children

Thomas Logan, strong  and optimistic.   Photo: Urban News
Thomas Logan, strong and optimistic.
Photo: Urban News
By Wallace Bohanan –

Thomas Logan of Walton Street Apartments has always loved children.

He sat on his couch with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye as he described babysitting for his older sisters’ children when he was sixteen years old. He was living with his parents and two older sisters on Sweeten Creek Road at the time, doing what he could to help out while his siblings went to work.

Years later, after he got married and had three children of his own, he found himself raising his three daughters as a single father. He and his wife had separated, she left town, and he got the children—ages 3, 2, and 1. Although this responsibility presented challenges, his love for his young daughters kept him strong and optimistic.

“I used to walk a lot with the children,” he tells me. While living in the Pisgah View Apartments, Thomas would walk them up the hill to the Asheville City Pre-school on Haywood Road. “I had the baby strapped to my chest, and when the other two got tired I would pick them up, one in each arm, and keep on walking,” he says with a smile.

The biggest challenge he has these days is finding employment that will work with the children’s school schedule. Thomas gets up at 5:30 every morning, and on school days he gets his daughters up and on the school bus by 7:10. “I’m an early riser, like my father,” he says. He then meets the school bus at 3:05 to bring the girls home.

Love for his children helps Thomas meet the challenges he faces, but he also appreciates the support he gets from his parents, siblings, and friends. Some help comes in the form of financial assistance, babysitting, or trips with the grandparents. Thomas is also careful about what his daughters are exposed to. He doesn’t have a lot of people coming to the house, so he can spend time with the girls, and he carefully monitors what they see on television. He is very grateful for the love and appreciation his daughters show him as well. He says they keep him out of trouble.

In looking toward the future, Thomas is both optimistic and realistic. He already has some maintenance skills, and he loves to work with his hands (he was weeding his flower bed when I arrived for our interview). He plans to check out programs at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, which offers training in skills that pay well with employers in the area. A-B Tech is within walking distance of his apartment, and should provide an educational program that will fit into his child rearing schedule.

Love and appreciation provide inspiration for this single dad. Let’s all wish Thomas Logan a Happy Father’s Day!