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Negative effects of single parenting
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One out of four children, under the age of eighteen, are born without a father. (www.singlemotherguide.com). Many pregnancies are unplanned and even unwanted. Being a single mother is typically the new norm. Mothers believe they can be both the mother and the father. Mothers involuntarily become single mothers because of three most common reasons: divorce, never married, and teen pregnancy (The Various Reasons for Single Parenting). Divorce is the number one reason for single parenthood. (www.singleparentcenter.net). Married couples divorce for several reasons and sometimes for no reason at all. Involving a child in a divorce can cause many emotional problems for the child. Young kids do not understand why their “mommy and daddy” do not live in the same house anymore. Many kids grow up perfectly normal without a father, but a majority are not raised properly. Couples also get married for the wrong reasons. Couples believe just because they have a child together means they must get married. Several women, who become pregnant outside of marriage, choose to raise their baby alone without the help of the father. The majority of these mothers have never been …show more content…
Teenage girls often get pregnant and do not know the first step in becoming a mother. Normally, when a teenage girl gets pregnant, she is less likely to attend college according to “Women Issues” by Linda Lowen. Some mothers are not even sure who their baby’s father is and many babies get aborted. The majority of single teen mothers are living in poverty. “Almost all our teen mothers are low-income, poorly educated and low-skilled.” (CNN) One third of mothers actually have a college degree and 23.2% are unemployed. (www.singlemotherguide.com) People under the age of eighteen are still developing and are not ready to be
Single parenthood is an overall social issue struggled with throughout the United States, but nothing compares to a single mother trying to provide and take care of her children. As we explore a study done by Rosanna Hertz in her novel “Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice,” we will begin to understand the unique differences these women go through in their daily lives. First, we will view her theory and then critique her findings, what she did wrong and what she did right. After we will view other similar studies to Hertz that will either support or contradict her findings.
Miller, Naomi. Single Parents by Choice: A Growing Trend in Family Life. New York: Insight, 1992.
Single parenting numbers increase each year. In America there is almost fourteen million single parents raising about thirty-two million children, twenty six percent are under twenty one years of age. Eighty-two percent of single parents are mothers and about eighteen percent are fathers (“Single Parent Statistics-Average Single Parent Statistics”).There are a lot of stereo types about single parents, most of which are untrue, but some can be true also. Single parenting is becoming more common in this generation, and it’s not just because of one reason. There are many reasons these days that there are single parents.
Single Parent Struggle 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.
What is a single parent? Is it one who destroys their child’s life? Is it one who ultimately cannot raise a minor on their own? Or is it one who dedicates their lives to the well being of their kid? Imagine a parent, and for whatever reason they were left alone to raise a child. That parent you imagined has to work long hours just to put a meal on the table. That parent has to play the role of the mother and father. That parent has no financial support. Unfortunately, in our society, this image of a single parent is looked down upon. There are people that don’t realize how much a single parent goes through to give their child a better life.
A standard household consists of a mother and father to nurture the child, however, in some cases, one adult may have to perform duties of a mother as well as of a father. Economical situations can be considered good or bad depending on the community is which they confide. In the article, “In Defense of Single Motherhood”, by Katie Roiphe. The author states, “single motherhood and its impact on their children, show that conditions like poverty and instability frequently accompanies single mother households with the high chance of children experiencing drugs, alcohol, mental illness, school dropouts and many more” (Roiphe 59). Studies done by multiple schools are viewed by societies who agree with the concept that single motherhood is a bad thing. There
The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.
“Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job,and if it weren’t for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never healthcare. And that's the story that we’re not seeing, and it's unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out of children wedlock”(Mike Huckabee).There are three reasons why women shouldn't receive less welfare benefits for each child born out of wedlock; not enough good jobs to support a family, being married does not define how financially stable someone is, and the father leaving the mother to become a single parent.
Around 200,000 children are born to teen mothers around the age of fifteen to nineteen. With teen pregnancy, sixty percent of them result in birth. Eight in ten of the fathers don’t marry the mother and pay less than eight hundred dollars in child care due to being poor himself. School is a problem as teen mothers will drop out and have a harder time finding a job. How society looks at teen mothers is also a problem. Three effects being a teen mother are: education, source of income, and medical complications.
Unfortunately, there are some single parents that do not take the time to take parental duties needed to raise a child. I work at a school and have seen my handful first hand. Those are the parents who think they will not provide emotional, physical, financial stability for their child or themselves. I have come across parents who live in their cars, struggling, not being able to feed ot provide a roof over their children's head. Now, I feel they should have thoroughly thought it through during the months of pregnancy and decide truly if having this baby would be in the best interest and whether or not financially if they can provide for them. Accidents can happen, my second born was one of them, although, in general adults know what is presenting itself when determining whether or not to have a child. Not all people are prepared to become parents, if you know you are one of those people do not do it. If it is to late there are other options such as adoption, handing them over to a loved one, etc. There are many different ways to enhance the better being of a child it is up to you and how you apply yourself as a parent/human being to do
In this essay, you'll read about some of the problems that can arise for kids in single-parent households and learn what single parents can do to minimize the problems to their children or help the child/ children grow more as a person. I decided to touch on the situation because me myself is one in four children who are born to an unmarried mother, many of whom are teenagers. Another 40 percent of children under 18 will experience parental breakup. Ninety percent of single-parent families are headed by females. Half way of doing my research project on “how children is affected with just one parent in the home?” i realized that the information made single home families look as “poverished” or “unstable”, when it is just the outside looking in. Single parenting may affect the child/children, but it also have a different
Single Teenage Mothers: A Story of Struggle The Problems Faced By Teen Parents: The main issues that seem to plague most single first time mothers are health, school, depression, relationships, children’s success, and last but not least the economy. The first problem most single moms encounter is their health and the health of their new born babies. According to the March of Dimes, pregnant teens are more than likely to suffer from complications during pregnancy. Their babies are also likely to experience premature birth, low birth weight, and other related health issues which can lead to death or even disability. Since most teenagers are becoming first time parents many of them have a difficult time completing school due to carrying on new responsibilities which now involve another human being. Based upon the study by
Yet, I’m not alone. According to the Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2002, out of seventy two million children who resided in the United States as of March 2002, 16.5 million children are living with a single mother. In addition, We the American Children showed that children living with two parents declined dramatically from seventy-seven percent in 1980 to seventy-two percent in 1990. Those living with one parent increased from eighteen percent to twenty-four percent. As the years progress, millions of American children will eventually suffer from not having a father in their lives, as Diana and I have suffered.
Life as a single parent can be rough sometimes. Before having children, most people may picture a family with two parents, but to some, the reality is there is only one. It takes a village to raise a child right?! But, what if that village is one person? Although raising a child as a single parent can be challenging, it can also be rewarding! You may be a single parent, but you’re not alone especially when you have God! A single parent instinct is to feel like they need to do it all, however, that’s not realistic or rational. If only some people knew how hard it gets sometimes as a single mother on a low to no income, they would think twice about how they judge and treat them. Motherhood
Social Development has not prepared individuals to be single parents. Single mothers and single fathers need to establish strong support networks, personal friendships, and positive parenting skills. They need to learn how to synchronize the demands of work, home-care, and supervision of children (Benson, 1993). They need to enforce limits, rules, and boundaries consistently, and to transmit responsibility and values, in order to raise responsible, self-controlled, and healthy children (Cloud, and Townsend, 1998). They need to find ways to improve and maintain their self-esteem. Many single parents learn to live on reduced incomes, find acceptable ways to deal with non-custodial parent, and redefine their relationships with their children. These are but a few of the challenges facing single parents (Benson, 1993).