Influence Of Living In A Single Family

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Does Living In A Single Parent Home Influence Your Level of Success? Jessica Turner April 24, 2014 Senior Thesis Period: 4 “Jessica, you will never get into Princeton University!” Said my uncle, who laughed as I exited his car. I never thought I would hear those words come from my “favorite” uncle. When he told me this, I had many emotions going through my head. At that moment I felt angry with him and myself because at that moment he made me feel like I was nothing. Where was the faith in me and my ability? This man is my uncle, one who is supposed to be my support system. My uncle works for the government as a journalist. He is an extremely intelligent man, but is known for being arrogant and selfish. He tends, to make negative comments regarding my father’s level of education and my mother’s job status. Because he is gainfully employed and has more education than my mother does not make him “better.” My father does not live in the same household. This gives my uncle the opportunity state that the absence of my father is the reason why we struggle. He also believes that my brother and I will follow in his footsteps: We will not be successful. This story is important because black women are currently being stereotyped as single parents with children, who do not amount to anything. I chose this story because it demonstrates how family can negatively influence people more than strangers. Being part of this experience challenged me to be a better person. It made me rethink who I am, while simultaneously working to prove my uncle wrong. Completing this project will allow me to hear individual’s stories regarding growing up in single parent households and overcoming struggles despite the odds. The purpose of this st... ... middle of paper ... ...ever experience poverty earn high school diplomas and 70% born in poverty and 63% living in poverty graduate from high school. This piece of evidence is important because it proves that not all kids living in single parent homes are living on the streets or doing illegal activity. From reading The Origins of African- American Family Structure by Steven Ruggles elaborated on the reasoning behind single parent homes. His claim is that single parent homes refer back to the slavery era. He says that slavery is what created disorganization and instability in black families. What’s shocking is that black marriages started failing more than whites, which increased single parent homes. This can’t be solved unless both men and women fight to stay together. Also the reasoning behind marriages might be very personal and financial instead of lack of love and communication.

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