Why Single Parents Attend College

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)

Being a role model for my young daughter is very important to me. Receiving a higher education is not only important to me, but also to my daughter. A single mother is usually categorized in a negative light. When one says “she’s a single mother” the first initial thoughts of many are the stereotyping that the single mother is on welfare, Medicare, and other government aids. Although the article “Great Expectations: Single Mothers in Higher Education,” by Diana L.Haleman is about the minority group of single mothers that live in poverty, I have some of the same issues that these women in the study had; mother, employee, and a college student. “Their educational experiences often provide an opportunity for disrupting negative expectations directed toward them and also symbolize for the women the possibility of realizing the hopes and dreams they hold for themselves and their children,” says Haleman, I couldn’t agree more with that statement. Being a single mother, a hard worker, and a college student is not an easy task, but having my daughter grow up watching all my willpower on completing my goals will show her that no one can hold me down except myself.

Single parents have it hard balancing everyday life, to handling a full-time job, balancing financial needs, making sure their children are taking care of which are just the basic needs that a single parent does. Many single parents take that leap of going back to school to better and secure their future for their family. However, single parents that make the choice of going to back to school to better themselves go through a lot of issues or self-neglect. Because of the self-neglect and the overbearing weight of handling everyday life and college life, researchers have found out that between "finances, family, and relationship difficulties disproportionally affected single parents, who reported nearly twice as many suicide attempts as their counterparts."(Shenony.2016) Many people would think that might not be as hard but being a single parent in college comes with a lot of challenges due to trying to juggle many hats at once such as financial issues, balancing a stable home life for their dependents, and staying on top of class assignments, these situations can be tough to manage but can eventually cause long term mental and physical challenges in the future while focusing on building a better future. During this time of our economic status the rate of mental and physical stress of single parents in college could possible double within the next year.

Sleep deprivation is a serious concern among college students, who are "among the most sleep-deprived age group in the United States," (Central Michigan University, 2008). It is important to study the causes of sleep deprivation, or sleep disorders, among college students. According to Park (2009), "dozens of studies have linked an increase in nightly sleep to better cognition and alertness." A study by Central Michigan University (2008) found that sleep deprivation can lead to poor academic performance, impaired driving, depression, and behavioral problems. There are several variables that may affect sleeping patterns among college students. One is genetics or biological issues. It is highly

Specific Purpose: Sleep and college students usually don’t tend to get along very well. Sleep and college life often bump heads due to stress, coursework and social activities. This speech will give the students useful information about dangers of not getting enough sleep and also hints on how to get a better nights sleep.

As noted by the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association (2010),“Deciding to return to school is a huge decision. This decision is even harder when there are children or a family to care for. Finding a balance between maintaining your own academic career and the well being of your family can be tricky (p. 118). The findings in this study confirm the fact that being able to balance work, school life as well as being a single parent was an obstacle for them. Many of the non-residential single parents attending college on campus were found that to be a challenge for them. Despite the fact that many of the participants had been out of school for a while they were eager to return to college for many reasons such as the need to get higher pay, as well as setting an example for their children that they should persist in spite of their

More and more children each year are being raised by single-parents. Majority of people would think single parents would have a tougher time to provide for their family. In most cases this is true, it is a financial struggle to raise children alone. There are exceptions with other single-parenting families that have had enough income to provide for the family. In other cases, the situation is stressful based on income, family support, or lack of either. It is especially more difficult when the mother or father is a teen themselves. In the book it talks about the percentage of children living with one parent is rising to 27.5 percent. Some teenage parents or parent think that by having a child they may provide motivation and purpose for the

Single parents who choose to pursue a college degree face the challenge of balancing their studies with their parental duties. These parents acknowledge that a higher level of education increases the likelihood of becoming better providers for their children. Single parent students often struggle financially as they have to rely on financial aid to satisfy the needs of their children such as housing, nutrition, etc. The challenges of returning to school involve taking into account how financial distress can fuel academic failure. The benefits for parents returning to school are based primarily on earning a degree that will lead to a financially profitable career. The benefits also involve providing their children with a better opportunity to succeed. Single parents acknowledge that in order to create future possibilities for their children, they must first embody success and inspire their children with their hard work and dedication. The drawbacks of parents returning to school involve a lack of financial stability as well as the failure of colleges to receive federal funding needed to maintain positive retention rates. This paper will weigh the advantages and disadvantages of single parents returning to school.

The stereotypical view often associated with single motherhood is one of a chaotic household where there is no supervision and where most of the children are left to fend for themselves. A typical American household is one where both parents are present and care about the wellbeing of their family. Often times, single mothers are frowned upon because of the stereotypes associated with the label. They are seen as destructive household where there is an increase in chances “that the children involved will experience alcoholism, mental illness, academic failure and other troubles” (Roiphe 54-55). This study done by Princeton sociologist, Sara S. McLanahan, paints single motherhood as being extremely damaging to the children involved. Roiphe

They must also be able to still have time to offer an exceptional amount of emotional time for the wellbeing of their child. However, even though this may seem impossible, it can be done. As this subject continues to be looked down on people must realize that single parents are becoming more common in today’s world. Accidents may happen frequently, but in most cases adults know what is at stake when planning to have a child. If you’re not ready, then don’t do it. There are many ways to enhance the well-being of your child if you simply apply yourselves as parents.

Kristi Williams, an associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University, published a study in the American Sociological Review, which showed that the negative health consequences for single moms can be long lasting, and they are unlikely to go away even if those women fare financially better later in life. “Research has clearly shown the toll that long-term stress takes on health and we know that single mothers have a great deal of stress in their lives,” Williams said. Adding to that information, Caryn Rabin, writing in The New York Times about single mothers’ health risks, explains, “Middle-aged women who were single when they had their first child are in worse health than similar women who were married when first giving birth.” Clearly, the studies make an important point: the cumulative stress women experience as a single mother has long-term health

“In 1970, the number of single parent families with children under the age of 18 was 3.8 million. By 1990, the number had more than double to 9.7 million” (uakron), Single parenting has immensely increased over the years becoming a less alienated family structure than the traditional two parent structure. Despite their parenting style becoming more common among the U.S, Single parenting has many disadvantages. For instance single parents struggle financially because instead two people working and bringing two paychecks home there is only one person working supporting the family. As a result, single parents have the highest percentage of poverty, despite government aid programs such as welfare, food stamps, etc.

According to Ryan and Cooper (2008), the society has in the recent past undergone some dramatic changes in regard to familial structures. In their own words, the authors note that "the once common image of the 'breadwinner' father, a housewife mother, and two children 好ow accurately describes only a very small percentage of households in the United States" (Ryan and Cooper, 2008). What this means is that the number of single-parent households in the U.S. has been on the increase in recent times. It is however important to note that unlike their counterparts in two-parent households, single parents face a variety of unique challenges in seeking to raise children in an appropriate environment. One of the major disadvantages faced by single-parent households according to Ryan and Cooper (2008) has got to do with lower incomes. In the opinion of the authors, the additional financial burden in this case is triggered by "not just the absence of one parent but the loss of a two-parent income" (Ryan and Cooper, 2008). In that regard, single parents are forced to survive on a single source of income which is in most cases not enough to cover everyday expenses of

Single parents have it hard from balancing day to day life, to handling a full-time job, balancing financial needs, making sure their children are taking care of which are just the basic needs that a single parent does. Many single parents take that leap of going back to school to better and secure their future for their family. However, single parents that make the choice of going to back to school to better themselves go through a lot of issues or self-neglect. Because of the self-neglect and the overbearing weight of handling everyday life and college life, researchers have found out that between "finances, family, and relationship difficulties disproportionately affected single parents, who reported nearly twice as many suicide attempts as their counterparts." (Shenony.2016) Many people can sympathize that being a single parent is hard but being a single parent in college comes with a lot of challenges due to trying to juggle many hats at once such as financial issues, balancing a stable home life for their dependents, and staying on top of class assignments, these situations would be tough to manage but can eventually cause long-term mental and physical challenges in the future while focusing on building a better future. During this time of our economic status, the rate of the mental and physical stress of single parents in college could possible double within the next year.

In the United States, there are more than 20 million kids who live with one parent, which means 1 out of 4 children in the US are growing up in a single parent home (Porter). The most common reasons that cause a single parent family are divorce and death. These families often suffer by their low family income, especially for single mothers. After a single family has formed, the parent who got the custody of the child might face the problem of housing, which happens more often for the parent who has disadvantage in economic aspect (Stresses 14). Research has revealed that the hardships of occupation are more likely to affect a single mother than a father.