The Benefits Of Single Parents In College

The college drop-out and failure rate in North America is unacceptably high and it’s becoming a huge problem. In fact, US News reports that “30% of college freshmen drop out after their first year of college” (Bowler 2). There are quite a few reasons students drop out of College. Whether it’s having a child or working two jobs, it’s hard for most students to balance college and life. Some of the main causes of dropping out include nontraditional situations, mental issues such as stress or anxiety, and lack of self-knowledge.

I am in my mid-thirties and going back to school. I would have to say that my children are the primary reason behind this decision. I am their role model and teacher and I intend to be the best one possible. I want to show my children the endless possibilities of hard honest work. I want to send them to college and live comfortably. Throughout my personal experience, I have learned that anything is possible even while I am balancing a family, multi jobs and school.

Coming from a 2013 study, published in Anxiety, Coping and Stress stated, “Those with greater financial strain perceived more stress, had more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ill health.” There are many existing highly stressful situations that cause college students to drop out. Students that depend on themselves, with no help from their families are more likely to drop out due to financial issues. A survey conducted by Public Agenda reported by New York Times reveals that students who are receiving financial help from their families have sixty three percent graduation rate, exceeding the forty two percent of those who graduate and pay for college on their own. This proves

The cost of college tuition can affect the student's life in a way that one would not think like in their future. College stresses students in high school because they have to worry about if their grades are up to par and do they meet the college or university requirements. But more of students stress comes in the future. Fact is proving that most of college students go back home and live with their parents because they are not financially stable to afford their own home because they are still paying off loans. A percent of 85 this year’s graduating class of this year will be forced to move back home in order to help cope with student loan debt.Only 57% of people between 25 and 44 own a home today, a 4% decrease since 1980, ("15 Surprising Side Effects of Rising College Costs"). Another way is that college graduates put off having children because of them not being financially stable online universities recently did a survey on how many college students have children the results shows that debt, largely from college, was causing 20% of young adults to delay having children,even if they wanted them. Kids can be a little expensive , and college debt may mean that many young couples that are wanting to start family have to hold off on adding to their family until they can get loan debt under control. ("15 Surprising Side Effects of Rising College Costs"). Also, it

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)

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

Thesis/Central Idea: To understand that there are many parents raising their children alone with no help at all. Many single parents have different circumstances that cause them to raise their children by themselves. Being a single parent is not easy there are good days and bad days and most single parents must make it through no matter what. Many single parents do not realize that their children are looking at them for the rest of their lives.

Are you a single mother who wants to go back to college but is worried about juggling college, work, and parenting responsibilities? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many women dream of going back to college to complete their degree, attend college for the first time, or obtain an advanced degree.

In today’s age, parents are much more involved in their child’s life than history has shown in pass times. With more and more kids going to college parents are wanting to stay just as involved in their kid’s college life as they were in their high school life, but with an act such as, FERPA, parents are stopped from doing so. I believe a plan like the FERPA Waiver Plan should be adopted at my school and others all around the United States.

Parenting and going to college at the same time, causes stress and it is very challenging. Another thing that causes me stress is the financial situation, having both parents in college puts the money very tide for all the family. Having 4 children its almost impossible paying a daycare for us. Many times, I cannot plan my day, because my youngest is 15 months, sometimes she does not take a nap and that messes my plans. I also need to take care of the house, groceries, run errands, cooking and so on.

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.

Summary: Singles mother hurt themselves and children by trying to show society that they are strong and that they can survive by their own. This source show us how kids can be affected in a bad way because of their mother status. When those women decide to bring to the family a new integrant, kids get hurt with their emotional and in their academy life as shown in this quote “ The more “transitions” experienced by a child — the arrival of a stepparent, a parental boyfriend or girlfriend, or a step- or half sibling — the more children are likely to have either emotional or academic problems, or both.” (Hymowitz, 2014)

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.

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.

Married couples make up 68% of all families with children under 18, compared to 93% in 1950 (US 2015 Census). This demonstrates that more and more children are living in households with single parents. Single parents have to deal with jobs and other sources of stress making it difficult to give their children the attention they need. Additionally, single parents are the only ones that are providing for the family so they have a lot on their plate. This can provide stress on the child because they can feel unloved or even hated. As the rate of single parents go up, so does the amount of children that are not receiving enough