Effect of Single Parenting on Child - Research Paper Example

? Single Parenting and how it affects children One of the biggest issues that have become a trend all over the world now is single parenting and how it affects the children. When we look at some social philosophies, we can associate single parenting with the likes of the liberation of people and adventurism. The Catholic Church has always been a leading institution in the formation of rules and norms. The church also wants to safeguard the sanctity of marriage, which is their prime obligation. But it has also contributed negatively in some ways. Doing procreation outside the wedlock is a basis for excommunication, and the same goes for divorce. The Catholic Church maintains that it’s an enormous sin to engage in premarital sex before marriage, and single parenthood can be considered as a punishment for defying the teachings of the Church. Single Parenthood has become a rapid trend in our society. Pre-marital sex and divorce are not the only reasons which contribute to single parenthood; there are several other causes as well. There are studies in the U.S, which state that there are four single parents to every ten parents (Ehrensaft, 1). In this paper, we aim to understand how single parenting has impacted children. Whenever we find challenges or risks, we can better understand the factors that distinguish the children belonging to a single parent family, who develop certain disturbing tendencies from those who don’t. There is a strong need to comprehend why there are family instabilities that put children at risk, and how it becomes difficult to formulate programs and policies, so as to support healthy families and children. In this section, the objective is to briefly analyze five perspectives on the basis of which effects are transmitted. These include loss of parental support, economic hardship, lack of community resources, instability and life stress. Economic Hardship Undoubtedly it can be said that poverty is one of the principal factors contributing to the developmental problems of the young. A family, which is being headed, by a single mother is likely to live in more poverty, as compared to a married couple with children. And also single parents are most likely to complain and worry about the fact that their income isn’t sufficient to meet the growing expenses of their family. Majority of the children who live in families headed by single mothers are poor for seven years or more, which makes up approximately a third of their childhood. Most of the economic disparities that take place result, not from the lower income divorce, but also from the decline in income that accompanies divorce. However, this effect can vary for those people who started out as poor or who became poor. The income of single mothers and the children after divorce is 67% as compared to their income before divorce, while the income of divorced men is 90% as compared to their income before divorce (Eamon, 1). There was one study which used four types of data bases, in which the lack of income came out to be the most influential factor, which constituted for the difference in children from single parent families; the variation in income is measured to account for about half the differences in attaining education and employment of young adults, also about half the differences in non-marital child bearing. However, it’s not responsible for the differences in child well-being between intact and step families or in intact and divorced families. Loss of Parental Support and Supervision Having parents provides a vital support system to children, which in turn also augments their well-being. Irresponsible or poor parental supervision has been one of the major causes of children getting themselves engaged into delinquent acts. Children who have single parents are less likely to have their actions monitored; according to most researches, the parents don’t even know where their children are or whom they are with, as compared to children who have both their parents intact. Also, single parents are less likely to be involved in their children’s school and extracurricular activities. They do not envisage exceptionally high academic goals for their children, which is one of the principal factors that can ruin the chances of their children achieving some outstanding academic accomplishment in life. According to recent evidence, parents who proactively involve themselves in their children’s education are likely to increase the success quotient of their children. The startling variations in parental support and monitoring are measured to be about 20-40% i.e. between single parent and two parent households. However, these differences do not exist for biological parents (Lees, 2). Lack of Community Resources The youth who are able to defy all odds and disadvantages have the benefit of depending on a number of sources of social support, which include older friends, family day-care providers, teachers, ministers etc. Furthermore, a social support system is extremely beneficial for children who hail from a vulnerable back-ground. Also, it ought to be noted that children who hail from single parent families do better when their mother has a steady support from their friends, relatives or neighbours. On the other hand, research indicates that two-parent families live in better neighborhoods; their children are more likely to attend formal schools and form friendships with not particularly troublesome children. Single parents cannot gauge whether the neighborhood they are residing in, is an appropriate place to bring up their children. Since they are short of one breadwinner, they are more inclined to live in sub-standard housing with few community and social services (Fang, 8). Parental Conflict This explanation is deemed to be more useful in pointing out the differences in child well-being in divorced or remarried families, as opposed to families that have never married. Research and studies have showed that broken marriages and households have deeply jeopardized the quality well-being of children. It instills insecurity in a child and causes a decline in their growth to a considerable level. Life Stress and Instability This explanation says that one disturbing or stressful event in life cannot endanger a child’s well-being hailing from a single-parent family. There are a number of other factors, which when constituted as a whole, jeopardizes their growth and happiness such as moving, changing schools, lowered standards of living and loss of contact with the non-custodial parent. It can be undeniably said that parenting is an exceedingly difficult and challenging task, especially solo parenting. To bring up a child who has an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is all the more difficult; this puts immense stress on the single parent, especially when they have to juggle a job, house, children and their own post-depression from the divorce (Riccuiti, 10). There was a study carried out, which compared and analyzed the single parent family system with the dual parent family structure. Accordingly, single parents have a low income because they are expected to shoulder tremendous amounts of responsibility for financially and emotionally supporting their children. They do not have a partner to attend to the needs of their children nor do they have any support in laying and imposing certain ground rules for the better growth of their children. Hence they may have a higher exposure to the opposition of their children, as compared to dual parents. In light of the above; although it may be contradictory at some instances, it can be said that there are both positive and negative effects of single parenting. Positive Single Parenting Effects Children tend to form a close bond with their parents, which is one positive effect of single parenting. Single parenting means looking after a child’s requirements and needs single handedly, which in turn means spending quality time with the child. If the parents successfully manage to transpire these moments into extremely deep bonding sessions, it’ll establish a lifetime rapport and bond between the parents and children. These sessions can also be used by non-custodial parents, where they can meet the children and highlight the importance and need of having them in their life. Single parents usually have a vast support system in terms of friends and relatives, especially when the child is a baby or a toddler; hence those children are introduced to community life from a remarkably young age, and this instills the ability in them to network and interact with people of varying personalities and nature, which is extremely crucial for their development and growth (Single Parenting, 2). Say if the child is a teenager or a young boy or girl, they learn to take up responsibilities and make sense of circumstances and situations from a relatively young age. Furthermore, if their parents have decided to split ways due to some dispute or conflict, the child gets exposure to conflicts from a young age, and this instills a certain maturity in them. This is quite a learning experience in conflict management and resolution, because the child understands the importance of having values such as help, care, support and empathy in situations, which aren’t so favorable (Sullivan, 4). There are also some negative effects of single parenting, which are more serious in nature than single parenting: A separation whether done gracefully or in a volatile manner is always painful. For children to be exposed to a parental separation is traumatic, to say the least. The most immediate effect of separation is a decline in the performance level of the children. They develop a pessimistic attitude towards life, which also impacts their school and extra-curricular activities in an adverse manner. This eventually results in a vicious cycle of alcohol, drug and substance abuse as well as being stuck in a series of negative and morbid thoughts (Berger, 1). There are some cases in which the parents engage in child abuse, which is their way of venting out all their frustration ad negativity on their harmless kids. The impact of such an ordeal can be traumatic for the children. Usually having both the parents lessens the chances of one parent turning out to be an abusive one because there is always a ray of hope for the child to look up to the good one. Hence, it is extremely imperative that children are kept away from the relationship problems because as it is dealing with the separation itself takes a significant toll on them. Social Stigma One extremely negative effect of single parenting is the social stigma and having to deal with it. There are people who are extremely insensitive and take immense pleasure in gloating at someone else’s misfortune. They can be extremely scathing with their remarks and if their child is also prone to these same tendencies, and pokes fun at the single parent’s child, it can reduce his/her self-confidence and esteem tremendously. Lower Educational Attainment Lower Educational Attainment is also one effect of single parenting. Children from single parent households are less likely to do well at school; this can be attributed to reason that the single parent does not have the sufficient resources to support the child throughout the school or to provide educational opportunities. This explanation is cited as immensely popular, but it negates the fact that single parents do have a large support system. There is also another problem that may arise: since the child is short of one parental figure in life to care for his or her needs, he may feel a deep empty void which he will try to fill by seeking someone that has never been there, and this may result in the child becoming hard-headed (Graham, 1). The child can also become jealous when he sees other kids with both their parents, this may cause him to become insecure and overshadowed. When the child of a single parent family unit becomes an adult, he or she may face problems in relating to members of the opposite sex because they did not have that kind of exposure while growing up. This may lead to them becoming disillusioned and bitter. Their relationships with people might be extremely edgy and strained. In order to alleviate the negative effects of single parenting, the child should be engaged in activities that they love such as sports, joining a club etc. This will distract their mind and will also help them to forget the ordeal that they have gone through. It’s also an advice for married couples to let their children know that their relationship is turbulent; talking out things with children is less likely to make them feel that they are responsible for the separation. The child’s development in a single family unit is dependent on how trustworthy the parenting skills of the single parent are, the parent needs to play the role of both the father and the mother, although it may seem hard while dealing with the own individual loss, he/she has to give the child a lot of emotional support. The child is at a particularly vulnerable stage, the parent should ascertain that the child is confiding in him/her and not becoming disillusioned because this can hinder the prospects of a bond between them. Also, the single parent should ensure that the child is not turning to someone for comfort who is perhaps not a very favourable influence for the child because this way the child can become vulnerable to potential dangers. The single parent should take an interest in the child’s school and extra-curricular work, so as to make the child feel wanted. If parents try to regulate the child’s routine properly and efficiently, there is a lot of potential for the child to emerge as a healthy and successful individual capable of accomplishments, contrary to popular beliefs, which maintain that separation of parents stagnates the growth and development of children and hinders them from achieving anything in life (Coles, 2). References Berger, L. M. (2007). Socioeconomic Factors and Substandard Parenting. Social Service Review, 81(3),485-522. Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Accessed 19th August, 2011  Single parenting. (1999), Gifted Child Today Magazine, 22(2), 6, Retrieved from EBSCO host, Accessed 19th August, 2011   Fang WuSen, Q. (2006). Longitudinal Effects of Parenting on Children's Academic Achievement in African American Families. Journal of Negro Education, 75(3), 415-429. Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Accessed 19th August, 2011 Ricciuti, H. N. (2004). Single Parenthood, Achievement, and Problem Behavior in White, Black, and Hispanic Children, Journal of Educational Research, 97(4), 196-206. Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Accessed 19th August, 2011 Coles, R. L. (2001). The Parenting Roles and Goals of Single Black Full-Time Fathers. Western Journal of Black Studies, 25(2), 101, Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Accessed 19th August, 2011  Sullivan, S. (2008). Unaccompanied children in churches: low-income urban single mothers, religion, and parenting. Review of Religious Research, 50(2), 157-175. Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Accessed 18th August, 2011  Eamon, M. J. (2004). Can We Predict Disruptive School Behavior?. Children & Schools, 26(1), 23-37. Retrieved from EBSCOhost, Accessed 18th August, 2011  Ehrensaft, M. K., Cohen, P., Chen, H., & Berenson, K. (2007), Developmental Transitions in Youth Behavioral Opposition and Maternal Beliefs in Social Ecological Context, Journal of Child & Family Studies, 16(4), 577-588, Accessed 18th August, 2011  Lees, D. G., & Ronan, K. R. (2008). Engagement and Effectiveness of Parent Management Training (Incredible Years) for Solo High-Risk Mothers: A Multiple Baseline Evaluation. Behaviour Change, 25(2), 109-128. doi:10.1375/bech.25.2.109, Accessed 18th August, 2011  Graham, L. J. (2008). From ABCs to ADHD: the role of schooling in the construction of behavior disorder and production of disorderly objects. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(1), 7-33, Accessed 18th August, 2011 Read More