The lives of poor single mothers and their children are explored, first grounding the present situation historically and pointing out their "other" status when examined against normal motherhood and family images. The first two chapters discuss the historical images of childhood and the family as they have developed in Western civilization. Part 2 introduces motherhood as experienced by single mothers and their children. The feminization of poverty is recognized through the stories single mothers tell. Part 3 examines the lives of the children as they enter school and the larger world. Single mothers and their children are a growing constituency in the United States. Other Western democracies have succeeded in alleviating the effects of poverty and offer workable models of much that might be done in this country. Recommendations for the future include: (1) universal health care; (2) affordable housing; (3) child allowances and maternity and parental leave; (4) a national child-care system; and (5) a pedagogy of equity. (SLD)