Parenting is the practice of supporting and encouraging the physical, emotional, social and academic development of a child from birth to adult. Society says children should be raised in a two-parent family. Although, in most cases raising a child or children in a two-parent family is best, there are situations where children are better off living and being raised by one parent.
It has been said, children from two-parent families are better off. The setting is also a factor to take into consideration. The increase in single- parent homes has had an extensive and negative effect on children’s development. 50% of marriages end in divorce. We have young people with young minds having children, they can hardly take care of themselves at the age of 21, yet they have decided to bring four children into this world to be raised by one parent. In some communities, majority of the children are being raised by a single parent. Statistics have shown that children raised in a healthy single parent home have more problems emotionally, psychologically, in school, and with the law than those raised in healthy two-parent homes. No matter how good a single parent is, that a single parent can NEVER do for the child how two present, committed, parent partners share and work together; communicate together and solve problems together as equals.
Some problems children of single-parent families may have:
Less emotional support for the children
1. Harsher discipline
2. Inconsistent discipline
3. Fewer rules
4. Less supervision
5. More conflict with parent and child
6. Lower achieved levels of education
7. Twice the dropout rate
8. Twice the incarceration rate
9. Violent crime involvement
10. Gang involvement
11. More likely to be a teen parent
12. Nee...
... middle of paper ...
...sitive attitude toward parenting and life in general, this seems to be the more successful approach: They see positive aspects in stressful situations and feel that they have succeeded despite many doubts. It's common for single parents to take a negative view of the challenges they face. However, if single-parent families are willing to work hard and get help when they need it, they can benefit from their situation in a number of ways.
Works Cited
ites:
Wolf, Jennifer. "Positive Effects of Single Parenting" StudyMode.com. 04 2011. 2011. 04 2011 .
Stevens, Larry. “Single vs Two-Parent Families, Child Development and Society”
Examiner.com 1 April 2001
Books:
Thomson, Gale. “Family, Opposing Viewpoints”. Nasso, Christine, Publisher 2008
Waldfogel, Jane. “What Children Need”. 2006
Two-parent families consist of a mother and father living in a home with dependent children. The family may consist of a biological mother and father or a step-parent. In two-parent families found little or no negative effects. Researchers suggest that children from two parent families are less likely to have social issues. Children raised in two-parent homes are more likely to complete high school and attend college. Cho, Lee, and Kuchner (2007) found that students raised in two parent homes demonstrate better behavior, have less absences and tardies and have much higher grade point averages. Researchers suggest that children from two parent homes have better grades and achieve academically as well as socially because the parents have more time to devote to the upbringing of the children oppose to single parents.
“Children of divorce are more than twice as likely to have serious social, emotional, or psychological problems as children of intact families…” (Parke, Mary, “Are Married Parents Really Better for Children?” p. 4). Not receiving the support and nurturing that is needed from both parents during adolescents can affect the future decisions made by children at a later stage in their lives. The guidance that is needed for children to make their life long decisions such as continuing education, certain situation thinking processes and decisions. Divorced parents will face loss of income compared to a two parent income, depression, and self-acceptance. Separating mothers and fathers in a childbearing family will lead the mother or father to having to split the roles or replace the role of the other parent in the household while the child might only be allowed to live with one parent for a certain amount of time. Single parent childbearing families face dependency among government support programs while the single parent may or may not be receiving child support that alone is not enough to remove the financial burden that single parents incur. Children often find this difficult having to move back and forth from two homes rather than having one home. Single parents who may later decide to marry often times face large scale problems as a result of becoming blended. This includes methods of parenting
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by my father. I witnessed firsthand th...
A parent’s parenting styles are as diverse as the world we live in today. Nowadays, parents only want what is best for their children and their parenting styles plays a crucial role in the development of children which will in the long run, not only effect the child’s childhood years, but later prolong into their adult life as well.
In today’s society, the amounts of single-parent households are increasing and this is another reason for the existence of childhood poverty. Statistics show that children living in single-parent homes are five times more likely to be poor. More people are getting divorced and are also having children outside of wedlock. It has also been said that women rather than men head about 90% of single-parent families. One of the
Being a parent is no easy job for a mother or a father in even the best of circumstances, in fact not only is it the hardest job one will ever do, it is also a job that is never done. Being a parent is not a nine to five job with nights and weekends off. Rather it is a twenty-four seven job until the day that you die. This is not to say that parenting does not have its rewards. Overall, most parents would probably be the first to tell you it is the best job and the most rewarding thing they have ever done in their lives. There are many types of parents and family situations and there is not one that is perfect or superior or right or wrong. However, a two-parent household does lend itself to many advantages
For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed 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
What is parenting? Parenting has many different definitions depending who is asked, some might say it 's the highlight of their day while others may share how they regret or dread going home, but the real definition of Parenting is; the raising of a child by its parents, or the process of becoming a parent. It is stated within Wikipedia that, “Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, financial, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood.” It also mentions that parenting is including the aspects of raising a child outside the biological relationship.
In the trajectory of humanity, single parenting has become a concept internationally accepted by most modern cultures. What exactly causes single parenthood? Well there are many factors in which could result in a single parent household. Death of a partner, divorce, and unintended pregnancy are just some of the causes of single parenthood. Based on this worldwide acknowledgement and understanding, single parenthood is usually aided by monetary help from the government or unions. Although financial help is available, the psychological effects a child goes through could never be fixed by any type of cash value. These psychological traumas and mental changes could affect the parent raising the child as well. Even with some financial help, single parents sometimes struggle to make ends meet. A study featured in Time magazine informed Americans that middle to lower class single parents will work 40+ hour weeks at minimum wage to provide for their child. If the parent is so busy at work, who's watching the child? Sometimes, the single parent might still have connection with their own families. Grandma and grandpa have to raise the child since the parent is hard at labor to provide for their offspring. Occasionally, some of our elderly folk do not have the competence to watch over a child. It might even be that the child is too energetic and could wear out the seniors. The child will then resort to the television, street, friends, etc to learn and grow. These influences might be negative for the child especially if they're not coming from the mother or father. An investigation of single parenting leads to the affirmation that raising a child by yourself is very difficult and must be approached very leniently and effectively.
The slightest dysfunction in a family structure can be detrimental to a child’s development. Children often act out and take part in delinquent activities. In order to increase a child’s chance to succeed in life, they must be raised in a stable environment involving two parents. This helps them to feel included in the family and will help build their confidence and independence later in life.
It is never a child’s decision to only live with one parent. There are many ways that single-parent homes occur. Some of these ways include unplanned pregnancy, divorce, the decision to be a single parent by choice, and death of a spouse. In every case families are disputed greatly. Parents might experience depression, emotional problems etc…. but the child is affected the most. Single-parent families are commonly targeted for controversial issues. We must be careful that we don’t stereotype these when they’re very hard to take care of themselves and their children. We do however need to notice distinct patterns in children who give up in a single parent home and what problems they face. Even though a dual family is noted as the best environment for c...
There are many approaches to parenting and everyone has their own preferences as to what they think is best. In a fast paced rush around society, it is hard to know what the best choices are for your children. There is a struggle to balance what needs to be done with what can be done, and this has negative and positive feedback on the children. Parents play a critical role in shaping and guiding their children into functional confident adults. An effective parent will learn as they teach in order to grow into understanding with their children.
Children are the future of the world and need to be nurtured and educated in the best conditions. Thus, parenting is one of the most challenging and admirable responsibilities that people can experience. Parenting plays important roles in the development of children’s characteristics. Some people nurture children depending on their own ways. Others get advice from friends or books. Parenting can be divided into three groups: authoritative, permissive, and democratic parenting.
One of the hardest issues to survive in, as a single parent, is an overwhelming emotion that you should complete the role of both mother and father. This feeling evolves and will be more intense if the other single parent is not portraying a role that is active with the children.
Parenting carries love, moral values, life skills, knowledge, traditional and so on to their children all the time. Most of the children practice the moral values, knowledge, and tradition which taught by their parents. In this way, most of them follow and believe in their parents’ word. Basically, children world views and mind were deeply shaped by their parents. Most of the children exercise what their parents practice. Children learn to make sense of what is going on around them by interact with their parents and surroundings. Through the “eyes” of their parents, they learn to see, think, question and look for answer which can satisfy them. If children were raised in a good or positive way, there is a very great probability that our society would be better off. Hence, from my point of view, parenting should be a privilege for a better future not only for the children it own but also our society.