Information on Being Single Parents
Single parenting is already becoming a rapidly growing trend in the society today. Studies show, that in the United States alone, there are four single parents to every ten parents and there are two single parents for every 10 adults.
Being a single parent may occur as the result of many things. Often, it is opted for by the parent (as in divorce, adoption, artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood, or extramarital pregnancy), and sometimes it is an unforeseeable occurrence (as in the death of one parent or abandonment by one parent).
Growing up with a single mother is by far the most common instance of single parenting; single mothers out number single fathers nine to one. Among divorced single parents in the United States, according to the US Census Bureau, only 15% of custodial parents in 2002 were men.
Single mothers have more difficult time providing for their families because women generally have lower paying jobs than men. Even if this is the case, they are more likely to nurture their children by telling them they love them, hugging them, and showing affection towards them.
Before, fathers just were not socialized to be primary caregivers, but now it is not so rare to see a father raising a child on his own. Men tend to have higher positions in the work force, which in turn gives them higher income. However, fathers often do not communicate as well with their children as mothers do.
Being a single parent inherently comes with challenges, when it is a single parent household, the single parent must wear several hats and do a great deal of tasks to keep the family together. Children raised in one parent homes have the opportunity to take more responsibility for the entire family’s well being than those with two parents to share the burdens of income earning and family care, making them independent, mature, resourceful, and responsible.
However, many single parents find themselves feeling isolated at one point or another. Dating and hanging out with friends must take a back seat since time must be devoted to the child or children. Single parents don’t really relate to singles without children because single parents have an entirely different set of priorities and responsibilities.
Single parenthood can have advantages, even in the light of tough situation. You can establish rules and guidelines in a more straightforward manner, since there is no partner to consult or with whom to debate. There are many successful single parent families out there today and certainly, you can be one of them with some effort.
