Single Parenting

Need a babysitter? Sittercity has babysitters in your area. Sign-up to find the perfect sitter!

Single Parenting And Effects On Children

Children feel the effects of their parent's actions. This is true for children of single parents as well. No matter if the parent is single due to divorce, death, or unmarried by choice, that situation ultimately has a profound impact on the children and their sense of self worth.

The affects of single parenting on a child mostly depends on how the single parent is handling the situation. Whether handled well or not, the affects of single parenting on a childs social well being can be astounding.

Children can deal with just about anything as long as they feel that the adult or adults in charge can handle the situation. This holds true with single parenting.

If a parent is single by lifestyle choice – either they live as a common law heterosexual couple, a non-heterosexual couple, or just chose to not have a partner, the affect that this has on a child can be quite devastating.

Nobody likes to hear the term bastard or illegitimate. In some parts of the world another term is natural child. No matter how you look at it there is a social stigma to not having your mother ever married to your father.

Many children are made to feel different or are teased by peers. This can have a very negative effect on a child's self esteem. In turn this can lead to behavior problems and unwillingness to go to school. This is one of the negative effects single parenting has on children.

The effects of single parenting as a father are pretty intense. Working full time and caring for a child is an exhausting task. This can lead to burn out.

In addition children of single parents may not have the other parent to lean on or communicate with. The child can feel abandoned. The fact that public schools look at single parents as inferior citizens does not help.

There are negative effects of single parent families. In certain areas of the country you may find that if you are a single parent by choice you are looked upon as doing something wrong or immoral.

The bible belt is one such place. When children and parents feel ostracized by society it adds many stresses to everyday life. Many times a change of location is not realistic due to financial or employment reasons.

So what about the positive – can anything good come from single parenting? Yes, apparently the myths that there is so much negative about single parenting – especially single motherhood – are wrong.

According to a study at Cornell University, positive single parenting, especially single motherhood, did not show any negative impact on the social and educational development of the 12 and 13 year olds participating in this study.

This is really great news for single moms. Finally they have proof of what they have known all along: if you raise you children with love, understanding and care,

you will have happy, healthy, well adjusted children regardless of your marital status. This is one of the best effects single parenting has on children.

References:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/May04/single.parents.ssl.html

Featured Single Parenting Articles