Children's Development with Single Parent

For many years, people usually assume that children from a single parent household will not succeed in their life. This is because children from single parent lack of attention, love and material supplies. Children growing up in a single parent household have been considered or viewed as different compared to normal families. Single parent household are families with children under the age of 18 years old that are headed by a single parent that was divorced, widowed or never got married. With much views and perspective, 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 or values that are taught to these children as they learn to mature and become adults. Children of single parents are more mature and can be just as progressive with emotional, social, and behavioral skills as those with two parents.

Being raised by only one parent seems to have a lot of struggles 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. The problem lies in the difference of children that was raised by a single parent versus children raised by both parents. It is not an easy task to be a parent nowadays, and it is especially more difficult and challenging to raise a kid as a single parent. Single parents are often overwhelmed, but that does not necessarily mean they are not doing a good job to raise their kids. Often times, good solid parenting has less to do with the number of parents in the home, but instead, it has more to do with the quality of parenting.

Spheres Where the Dysfunctionality Usually Occurs

In a single-parent working family, children tend to be more mature and independent. The children are more mature because they must be responsible for themselves most of the time. Usually, a single parent worked long hours to be able to provide for the family. If their parent has to work late, the children are in control of when to do their homework and when to go to bed. Some children might have to take on many others task such as having the responsibility of taking care of their siblings or close relatives as well. Children in this environment can deal with different situations. They are aware of how to deal with emergencies without their parents being there to help them. The children are also more capable of making decisions on their own and being on their own. Therefore, children are more mature and independent in a single-parent working family because they need to be and they cannot depend on their parents to be there at all times.

Another area in which dysfunctional families can have a negative influence on the development of children, is the area of behavior. Behavior is largely learned. It is determined by their experiences and the environment they grew up in. Children who are raised with both a mother and a father have more attention from both parents, therefore they get the emotional time they need to progress in life. This could be true but not in all circumstances. For example, a household in which both parents are constantly fighting where there are so much shouting and verbal abuse can affect the children growing up process. It would not be beneficial at all to grow up in a two-parent family who did nothing but argue and put each other down. Naturally, a child who sees this from a very young age until they are ready to be out on their own would only follow in the footsteps of all that they have ever known. Children who are raised by one parent who devotes their time and emotion into their child would benefit much more than a child who has both parents showing them that fighting and arguing is acceptable.

However, There Are Possibilities for Normal Adulting

People claimed that the only way for children to be raised to a normal adult where they gain full emotional and behavioral skills are to be raised by both parents. In the article, Single-Parent Families cause juvenile crime, it states “Children from single-parent families are more likely to have behavior problems because they tend to lack economic security and adequate time with parents”. The simple statement that raw criminals are products of single-parent adolescence is not always the case. What this writer must understand is that it can be extremely difficult for one parent to raise a child by themselves for many reasons. A single-parent must work full time to be able to afford to provide for themselves and their child. They must also be able to still have time to offer an exuberant amount of emotional time for the well being of their child. However, even though this may seem impossible, it can be done.

Conclusion

A single-parent family might not be the ideal environment in which to bring up children, but if that single-parent family provides cheerful stability and appropriate modelling, and is one in which love and acceptance are positively displayed, then it is a far better environment for young children than a two-parent family where bitterness and hostility are constantly present. Such an environment, warm, stable and appropriate has a marked and positive effect on a child’s development of self-worth, on his or her patterns of behaviour, and on the school experience. Not all families are lucky enough to have a healthy structure. It is important for society and government aids to notice these structural differences and act. There should be government funded programs to help assist single-parent families with childcare and finances for parents who must work and still have time for their children. Whether it’s a mother and a father, a single mother, or a single father, children need guidance. They will only become a product of what they are taught from a young age and these children are deeply affected emotionally by the amount of love and compassion that is put into raising them. Whichever family structure is implied it must be one of respect and strong moral values that they can someday pass on to their family.

Works Cited

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