Single-Parent Children in Society
Single-parent families are more common than you think. A recent study by Sara McLanahan with The Harvard Press shows that about 25% of families are headed by single-parents in today’s society. A family that is run by one adult, struggles much more than a family with two adults. This was a problem in the 1930s, as demonstrated in the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Single-parent homes are still a relevant problem in the 21st century. Atticus Finch became a single-parent due to the death of his spouse, in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Finch’s injustice in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, is that he had to struggle as a single-parent which causes things that would not normally be an issue as a two parent household. Raising his children to be honest, respectable and proper was important to him, so Atticus made an effort to spend quality time with his children. This was contrary to Mr. Ewell who did not raise his children in the same manor as Atticus. Even though this injustice has been prevalent throughout the years, we can take steps to reduce the challenges that may arise within a single-parent home. The best solution to decreasing the struggle with single-parent families is to offer supporting services that will take some stress off of a single-parent and help guide their children.
There are three ways for a family to become a single-parent family (Sahu). One way to becoming a single-parent is due to a divorce. Another way to
Twenty-five percent of children are being raised by a single parent, eighty percent of which are single mothers yet only single dads seem to be able to support themselves well.
Did you know that more than one fourth of all children in the United States live with only one parent? Single parenting has become more common today than in the 1800s, when it was sometimes frowned upon. As the years have gone by, it has become easier and easier for women to become single parents. In the 1800’s if husbands died or abandoned their families, women had no choice but to work for extremely low and unfair wages. Today, most men and women are treated equal and receive equal wages making it easier for women to be single parents. This concept is shown in Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer through Aunt Polly in the 19th century, single parenting is also common today.
Single parents don’t necessarily raise their children alone; they can have support from family and friends. Single parents also tend to parent better, they are stricter with their decisions and their children respect their choices. When it comes to creating a healthy family, it's not about the number of parents, but the quality of parenting a child receives that is most important. A home is only "broken" when healthy family interactions break down, for example when people stop communicating adequately. In the situation where both parents are raising the child, but the family situation isn’t healthy it can do more harm on the child than good. Certain situations such as a violent household
Parenting, a skill that can never be mastered but in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee The character Atticus Finch sets an amazing example. Atticus raises two children as a single parent and works as a lawyer full time. Atticus’s wife died just after giving birth to his daughter, Scout Finch. Atticus is a well respected man in the town of Maycomb not only because he is the town lawyer but for how well he is raising his children. What comes with being a lawyer is a lot of stress and hate towards the family. Atticus has to deal with the stress of his job and taking care of his kids with the help of Calpurnia, his Housekeeper.
In 2002, number of children living with their single parent was 16.5 million (Davidson). The most important thing is that each single-parent family is different from the other. Children who live with a widowed mother will definitely be living a different home life from children with divorced parents or the one whose parents were never married. Children of the parents who were divorced will always have some kind of relationship with parents and parents’ partners. But it is obvious that children from single-parent families face tougher times economically as well as
Single-Parent homes are defined as “families in which either the father or mother is absent because of divorce, marital separation, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, or death” (Greenberg, 2002: 329).
Did you know 30% of children in the United States live in a single-parent household as of 2012? ( )Every year this number is on the rise and it is causing children everywhere to suffer. When children are raised in an environment with only one parent they can have less opportunities and less supervision than a child with two parents. Children should not be raised in single-parent households because it can lead to abuse from parents, violence in children and poverty.
Some parents shield their kids from danger, then there are the parents that know they can’t so instead they prepare their children for the harsher side of the world. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a well-known coming-of-age convoluted novel that encompasses a trail between a black man and a white man that forces the town of Maycomb to go through experiences that taught them many life lessons. In the novel, there is a strong father and son relationship that deepens as the story progresses, showing how much a parent impacts their child’s development. Jem Finch is a prime example of how Atticus Finch’s ways of raising his children differ compared to most parents. Atticus guides both his children, Jem and Scout, throughout life, but
Atticus Finch was a great single father to his two children Jem and Scout. He knew exactly how to raise them on his own along with help from Cal his maid. One example of this would be how he handled the Boo Radley incident. Jem and Scout were harassing Boo Radley, and Atticus got right on them and taught them that what they were doing was wrong. Jem and Scout respected their father enough to never go back to that house again. This is
Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing are now epidemic in American society. Both forms of disrupted families are harmful to children and to society. The children of single parents are more likely to do poorly in school, commit crimes, and become single parents themselves. In addition, the increase in single-parent families contributes to such social problems as poverty, crime, and a decline in the quality of public education.
During the years, single parent families have become a more common thing. This is starting to become a problem, because family dynamics can really influence a child’s life. According to studies it affects not only the child but the parents too.
Children and single parenting begins with the divorce of a couple who have children. The majority of children live with their mother. Non custodial fathers usually have less contact with their children, and involvement usually declines as time goes by. Since most single-parent households are mother-headed their income is usually below that of a man, this causes economic distress and fewer opportunities for educational and extracurricular experiences for the child. Economic constraints may limit growth enhancing experiences. Even children whose fathers pay substantial child support are faced with limiting experiences. Children hate divorce because having two of the most important people in your life living apart hurts. For children,
According to a recent study from CBS, the United States has the highest divorce rate of any country at 45%. Due to this high rate of divorce, many families find that there is an imbalance of family roles in these newly created single parent households. Being a single parent has its own set of challenges for the individual and creates challenges for the family such as, spending smaller amounts of time with your children, having an excessive work load and disrupting the wellbeing of the children.
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
Single parent households are a sensitive topic that is highly debated today. This topic is one that has repercussions for both the parents and the children involved. However, regardless of the different consequences, these households continue to grow in the coming years. “In 1970, traditional two-parent married households dominated, making up 81 % of all households in the United States (US). By 2012 this number dropped to around 66 % … In 2012, approximately 21 million children, or 28 % of all children in the US, lived with one parent” (Kramer, 2015). It is interesting to look at the way the single parent households continue to grow throughout the years, all while being a hot topic for discussion on its consequences. When thinking about a book to read for this course, there was no real choice. I stumbled upon this book and knew right away that I could benefit from this book, as well as connect to it on a deeper level and relate to it personally.