Are Children Being Raised By A Single Parent?

The essay “In Defense of Single Motherhood” by journalist Katie Roiphe is best summed up by the title. The writer is a single mother of two children and is fighting back against the stereotype that say children from a single parent household will not have as fulfilling a life as they would with two parents. She goes on to explain how she believes the studies on single mother-led households are flawed.

Studies have shown that the occurrence of this misbehavior is commonly found in single parent homes as opposed to two parent homes. In the article, “Pros and Cons in Single-Parent Families” it states, “Multiple sources, both scientific and empirical, state children of single-parent families have lower test scores and high school dropout rates than children from two-parent families” (“Pros and Cons” 7). Having low test scores and dropping out are properties that belong to a child with poor behavior who also makes poor decisions. Children who have abnormal home lives are usually the ones to have poor behavior. Living in a single parent home is one of the abnormal circumstances that a child can face. Imagine now that on top of living in a single parent home a child also is adopted. Imagine the questions the child would have, the possible guilt that they may face. Why were they put up for adoption? Is there something wrong with them? Are they a burden to their adoptive parents? All of these questions can influence another consequence that a child may face when growing up in a single parent home, low self

Many children in today’s society have grown to become successful and mentally stable whether they had two parents, or one parent raise them. With everything in life it is never about quantity, but quality. This could apply to single parenting as well. As long as a parent create a stable and nurturing home their child will grow up to be a mature, hard working, independent, and loving adult. Family structure should not be the main focus when it comes to raising children, the focus should be on the values and life lessons that are taught to the child as they mature in life. Family structure in the last decade have change drastically. Children are being raised by same sex parents, grandparents, extended family, a single father, or a single

Children growing up in the United States come from different homes yet, all experience and understand the meaning of family. Some children grow up with in single parent family, or with a mother and father. Family is a big part of their lives and beliefs. Researchers bring forth evidences, that being brought up by one parent can physically and mentally destroy a child’s future. Growing up in any type of family can affect a child’s life emotionally, physically, and socially. Children can still be successful in life regardless of being raise by either a single or joint family. Success is not determine by who raise a child, but determine by what the child wants to become in life. Do researchers have a valid point with who raises a child can

Through many years, children growing up in single family homes has been discovered as problems. “At first glance, defending single mothers and their children. Raised by a strong and resourceful single mother, I turned out OK” (Wilcox). Being raised up with one parent seems to be stressful and impossible, but for decades its become possible to happen. In the society today, there are children growing up overcoming emotional stages and achieving their goals whether if they have both parents to show them difficult paths in their life that they will overcome as a growing human being. The problems that occurs within raising a child in a single family home compared to a married home can be different or the same depending on the disciplinary actions. There are many questions asked, does a child need both parent figures to be raised? Does a son need a father figure, does a daughter need a mother figure? Among all the questions asked, is there a person taking care the main responsible with much undertaking, on the single parenting topic it has become an interesting argument. People need to be more informed with raising a child. Raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family, it is more to how a parent is discipline and having a proper process of teaching their child with learning how to be mature and respectful. Children of a single home can be progressive with the same emotional, social able, and interactive behavioral skills that is raised with both parents.

All across the globe, there are children growing up in single-parent households, and through some research

This stress can sometimes lead to an increase in risky behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use. Not uncommon, the newly single parent may find that they are more easily depressed or experience an increase in anxiety. When parental abilities begin to break down the opportunity arises for the children to also dabble in risky behaviors. As stated in the International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family, “children in single parent homes tend to have higher absentee reports and higher dropout rates”.

However, by rising to these challenges, custodial single parents develop significant strengths. The positive benefits of being a single parent are that the child receives a lesson in independence. The child sees how strong the one parent is at providing them with everything they need without having to depend on someone else. The parents are showing their children that it is possible to live on their own, have an enjoyable life and take care of others while doing so. The children will know that they are a priority to the parent. When there is a second parent around the house, it can be easy to put responsibility off on them, but when the children see how hard the parent is working for them, they will understand how important they are to their parent. (Dowd, 1997)

Unfortunately in most of the cases in which a stepfamily is assembled, negative feelings already preamble the relationship. Many children see a stepparent as an attempt to replace the absent biological parent. In order to deal with this, both the biological parent and the stepparent of the marriage, need to make the children understand that the stepparents will not replace any previous relationship; instead, he or she represents the opportunity to build a new positive relationship, which will be based on support and tolerance. Is essential that the stepparent does not try to play the role of a parent at the beginning of the relationship. A 1996 clinician study explained that; “Many stepparents fail to build friendships with their stepchildren before moving into disciplinary roles, thereby creating resistance a negative reactions from their stepchildren” (Schrodt 178). This reactions add up to the already negative perception that the child has about this new stranger that is trying to be involve in their life. If a stepparent wants to have any sort of power over the stepchild, is necessary that the stepparent gradually earns this power.

When viewing single parental families in neighborhoods where that is the majority of families living there, there is a large increase in robbery, homicide, theft, and assault. In Wright and Wright’s book Family Life and Delinquency and Crime, Wright and Wright talk about single parent household are more correlated with higher crime rates as seen in a quote from the book, “They found that the proportion of primary individual household was positively related to the rate of theft and assault and robbery and homicide, even when ruling out racial, economic, and family disruption factors.” (Wright 29) It is seen that children who have been abandoned in some function react badly to abandonment by one parent. Wright and Wright explain this in their book that children who are raised by a single parent lash out through delinquency and eventually grow up to be criminals.

Some become jealous because they must share parental time and attention with the stepparent. And for some children, remarriage ends any lingering hopes that the two biological parents will one day reconcile. Finally, stepchildren are overrepresented in official reports of child abuse. Of course, the great majority of stepparents are not abusive. Moreover, survey data have not supported the notion that children in stepfamilies are more likely to be abused than are children in two-parent families.

Growing Up In A Single-Parent Family With the divorce rate as high as it is, more and more children are growing up in single-parent families. Ideally, it is better for children to live with their mom and dad happily married; however, children who grow up in single-parent households can still be well- adjusted children, teenagers, and adults. Although there are always exceptions to every rule, for the most part, children who grow up in single-parent working households are more mature, realistic and independent. First, in a single-parent working family, children tend to be more mature.

Children who grew up in a single parent family have been looked at differently. Just because people are raised by one parent isn’t bad but seems impractical to some, yet over the years it has become more common. Today’s world many children have grown up and became spiritually stable and victorious whether they had one parent or two, to show them the hard path that life has bestowed upon all humans. The issue lies in the distinction of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both mother and father. I don’t think children really need both of parents their parents to grow up right. A boy doesn’t need a father figure around to help

as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father. Does a child need both parents? Does a young boy need a father figure around? Does the government provide help for single parents? What role do step-parents and step-siblings play? With much speculation, this topic has become a very intriguing argument. What people must understand is that properly raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family but should be more focused on the process or values that are taught to these children as they learn to mature. Children of single parents can be just as progressive with emotional, social and behavioral skills as those with two parents.

It is commonly believed that for normal development a child needs two opposite sex parents. Mother provides nurturance and caretaking and father ‘‘is the grinding stone on which his son sharpens his emerging masculinity and the appreciative audience to which his daughter plays out her femininity (Pruett, 2000, p. 87).” Not all the children are raised in two parent family, single parent is a common part of our society. Single mothers and less common single farthers raise their children and nobody doubts there parenting skills, because not only their parent but also other relatives and media influence on children.